OLD Salvation READ AT YOUR OWN PERIL
by JoshTheWriter
Summary: Kanto stands betrayed, her greatest heroes slain in their moment of victory. A new generation of legends must rise to defend her, even as an ancient threat rises above the spectre of war. Medieval Fantasy AU. Discontinued, to be rewritten.
1. Betrayal

_Hello everyone, and welcome to Salvation! Before we start, be warned that this fic is in a Conquest AU. That means it's a medieval epic. So please, drop a review to let me know what you think!_

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Lance looked out over the broken plateau, piercing yellow eyes scanning the battlefield. A long cape billowed in the wind behind him as he watched the final chapter of the war unfold. The armies slammed together, the united forces of the living finally meeting the Ghost Queens legions. The front lines erupted in chaos, blasts of flame and lighting tearing into the hordes of the dead.

As Lance watched the chaos unfold, the battle turned in an instant. His thick brow furrowed as the line wavered under the ferocity of the undead assault. Hundreds of men turned tail and ran rather than face the relentless attacks of the undead army. In moments, the most powerful fighting force that had ever been assembled fractured into less than half of its strength. The remaining forces rallied around a pair of dragons that stood in the centre of the army, attempting to hold the line as the dead surged forward.

"The Kantoans have abandoned us, " he said, voice shaking with cold fury. He tore his helm from his head, revealing a sweaty mess of cropped red hair. "We must strike now, " he fumed, fists tightly clenched as he watched in horror.

"My King," hailed one of the Kantoans, a mighty Oak tree emblazoned on his chest plate. He pulled his helm off in a show of respect as he approached the King, the guardsmen surrounding Lance tending up as he did so. "Kanto stands wi-" He doubled over as Lance shouldered past the guardsmen in front of him and buried his fist in Oaks armoured stomach.

"Enough lies, Lord Oak," Lance spat as he towered over the younger man. "You have proven that Kantoans have no honour, as your father did before you." He gritted his teeth, fury etched into every line on his face. He turned back towards the battle and stepped away from his vassal, releasing a pair of slender dragonair from their balls. "Every drop of Johtan blood will be repaid a thousandfold." The two dragonair launched off the cliffside, lithely slipping through the battle towards the dragons.

A slender man stepped out of the crowd of elites, purple robes out of place among the heavily armoured soldiers. "Your Grace, I will aid Queen Mira." He bowed his head in reverence, face obscured by the mask he wore.

"Thank you, Will." Lance turned back to the battle as Will disappeared with a faint pop. He stepped back to the edge of the cliff, mind racing through possible actions. Every second spent cost him countless lives as the dead tore through his army.

Lord Oak rose to his feet, panting for breath. "I cannot allow this," he said, helped to his feet by his squire. The few Kantoans rallied to his side, weapons bristling at the Johtan elites that stood with Lance. "You will not threaten my people," he said through gritted teeth. He drew his blade as Lance slowly turned to face him. "I vowed to serve you in the interest of my people. If you are to betray our respect so callously, then you are not deserving of their support." He lifted his blade and pulled his shield off his back, defiantly meeting Lance's piercing yellow eyes with his own.

Lance donned his helm with a murderous glare. "My wife is on that field, commanding the army that your countrymen have abandoned," he snarled at Oak, drawing his own blade slowly and deliberately. "This treachery has put my family at risk, " he roared at Oak, his men bristling as the Kantoans mirrored them.

"Kanto has fought this war at your side for three years. We have proven time and time again that we are your loyal vassals," Lord Oak pleaded. He shook his head. "Lance, we have come too far to throw this away."

Lance curled his lip into a sneer, glaring at Oaks pitiful plea. "I'm afraid that you already have, " he murmured, his blade raised unto a fighting stance. He shouted a wordless cry as he charged towards Lord Oak. His men thundered after him, charging their former allies eagerly.

A torrent of flames erupted between them, heralding the arrival of a massive charizard. It landed with a crash, growling menacingly at the Johtans. A short, stocky man clad in simple leather riding armour slid off the back of the beast, rushing towards Lord Oak.

"Samuel!" shouted Lance. "I should have known that you were behind this, old man. What is the meaning of this?" He looked up to the sky, eyes searching the clouds for an imposing shadow. "Dragonite!" His massive pokemon dropped from the clouds like a rock, wings tucked back against its armoured scales. It landed with a thud behind Lance, glaring at the smaller charizard that dared defy its master. Lance stepped forward, his face twisted in rage under his helm. "Explain your treachery, Elder. Why do your men flee the field?"

Samuel Oak turned to look at Lance, mournfully regarding his former apprentice. "This battle is lost. We have been betrayed." He looked at the man that had once been his protégé and sighed, knowing that his words would mean nothing to the furious young man. "Lord Flint and Lady Kasumi are dead. Someone has assassinated our leadership." He pointed out at the Johtan army. "Your wife refused to retreat, but my men have broken," he said grimly. "We must retreat and regroup."

Lance glowered at the Elder, blade quivering with anger and anticipation. "Coward," he spat. "I looked up to you for years, even after you cast me out." He raised his sword. "No more!" He charged, leading with his blade. The Johtans charged with him, yelling war cries that were drowned out by the thundering roar of Lance's dragonite.

The charizard launched itself into the air, intercepting Lance's dragonite before it could get off the ground. The two dragons tumbled off the edge of the plateau, tearing at each other with reckless abandon. The separated as they fell, wings carrying themselves away from each other and into the storm clouds that hung over the battlefield.

A pair of flashes erupted from the charging Johtans. An armoured beast roared before it had even finished forming from the brilliant beam of light. The rhydon lowered its horn and charged the massive turtle that roared a response. It shouldered its way through the streams of pressurized water that slammed into its form, meeting Oaks blastoise in a contest of strength. The blastoise skidded backwards, grinding to a halt as it held fast to the larger rhydon.

A hellhound leapt over the rhydon, landing deftly on the blastoise's shoulders. It sank its jaws into the turtle's shoulder, flames eating at the massive turtle's fleshy shoulder. The blastoise roared in pain, releasing the rhydon and flailing desperately at the houndoom tearing at its exposed flesh. The rhydon reared back and drove an armoured foot into the turtle's chest. It toppled backwards onto its shell, desperately trying to flip itself over as the houndoom ripped at its throat.

Samuel Oak deflected Lance's thrust into the dirt. He kicked the dragon tamer away from him as he backed towards his son. "We cannot stay here," he said hurriedly. Lance charged him again, forcing him onto the defensive even as Lord Oak leapt to his father's defence.

Lord Oak intercepted Lance's blade with his shield, forcing Lance to retreat or leave himself exposed. Lance pressed against Oak's guard, attempting to force an opening. He pulled back before Oak could gut him with his own blade, throwing the younger man off balance. Lance bashed the pommel of his sword into Oak's face as he stumbled forward. Lord Oak crashed to the craggy stone in a heap, holding his bloodied face.

Samuel swung his blade wildly, attempting to clear enough room for his son to recover. Lance knocked his swing aside effortlessly, advancing on the older man.

"So this is how they will tell the story?" Lance asked contemptuously as he locked his old teacher's blade against his own. "The heroic young pupil cast out by his mentor finally reunites with his former mentor." He shook his head. "Only to have his trust betrayed." He pushed Oak's blade aside and kneed him in the gut. "There must be consequences."

Lance pressed his attack, battering aside Samuel Oak's ineffectual parry and knocking his sword out of his hands. Lance planted his foot into the Elder's chest and kicked him to the ground. "I should never have trusted you after what you did." He raised his blade to deliver the killing blow. "It's time for you to face the consequences."

Lord Oak slammed into Lance from behind, taking them both to the ground. Lance rolled with the momentum, springing back to his feet and readying his blade again.

Lord Oak pulled his father to his feet, turning to face Lance together. "Kanto will never stand with you after this," said Lord Oak. "You have destroyed this alliance on the eve of its greatest achievement."

Lance leered at them, anger and hate etched into his face. "So be it. Johto is stronger alone." He stepped towards them, bringing his blade up to block Lord Oak's. Lance parried the swing, knocking Lord Oak off balance. He turned and battered aside a thrust from the Elder, sending the older man stumbling with a brutal kick to the chest. Lord Oak attempted an overhead swing, trying to force Lance back. Lance intercepted the blade with his own and deflected it into the ground. With one smooth motion he brought his blade back up, ramming it through Lord Oak's armoured chestplate and out his back.

Lord Oak slumped against Lance, barely able to support his own weight. He looked up at his liege, blood leaking from the edge of his mouth. "Kanto will never submit," he said with as much strength as he could muster. "We will fight you until the last man."

Lance forced his sword deeper into Lord Oak's chest. "I look forward to it," he whispered. Lance ripped his blade free of the young Lord's chest in a spray of blood. Adrenaline coursing through him, he admired his handiwork with a triumphant grin.

Lord Oak stumbled forwards, falling to his knees and coughing up a glob of blood. "Father!" he called weakly, before dropping to all fours. He attempted to rise but his limbs failed to hold his weight, sending him crashing to the ground.

Samuel Oak stumbled over to his son, abandoning his battle with Lance. "I am here, boy," he said, rolling his son onto his back and taking his hand. He looked up at Lance with hate in his eyes. "You will pay for this," he said with a calm fury in his voice.

Lance turned away from him, looking up at the dragons that had emerged from the clouds, tangled in battle. "I doubt that, old man." He sheathed his blade. "Kanto will burn for your betrayal in time." He turned back to the Oaks, smiling viciously. "I have more important matters to attend to."

The dragons crashed to the ground, shaking the cliff side. The charizard was pinned to the rock by the larger dragonite, a large gash marring the charizard's scaly side. The dragonite roared as it lifted the charizard off the ground and slammed it back down to the earth.

"Dragonite!" Lance called. The beast looked up at its master with barely restrained bloodlust. "Leave the vermin," he ordered. "You have a much greater foe today."

The dragonite roared and lifted the charizard again. The massive beast hurled Oak's charizard across the plateau, sending the beast crashing to a halt on the edge of the cliff. It roared again, daring the smaller dragon to rise and challenge its superiority again.

Oak's charizard stirred, stretching out her wings cautiously. She slowly lifted herself to her feet, staring defiantly back at the dragonite.

Lance turned to his men, looking out at the field. "Today we free Johto from the grip of the dead." He took one of the silver balls from the holster on his hip. He tapped the centre of it and released a dragonair. The long, slender dragon stretched to her full height, before lowering herself and allowing Lance to mount her.

His men mirrored him, releasing their own pokemon and preparing for battle. The rhydon and houndoom joined their masters, leaving the blastoise a bloody mess on the plateau. They spread out across the edge of the cliff, preparing for their charge. The few Kantoan soldiers that had faced them lay dead or dying in growing puddles of blood.

"For too long, we have stood in the shadows of Kantos might!" he shouted. "Too long, Johto has chafed under the rule of the dead." He pointed his sword forward. "Today we take Indigo back for the living!" His dragonair launched from the cliff, followed by the rest of the war party. They thundered across the plain in moments, slamming into the hordes of the dead and crashing through them like an unstoppable wave. Lance's dragonite rose above the battlefield, blue dragon fire streaming from its maw. It dove into the hordes of the dead, tearing through them with unrivalled ferocity.

"My Lord," started the elder Oak, ignoring the triumphant roars of Lance's dragons. "We must go." He blinked back a tear, knowing his son wasn't capable of moving. "Your people still need you," he said desperately.

Lord Oak sat up with a struggle, supported by his father. "You don't need me," he said bitterly, clutching at his chest. "Not like this." He breathed in heavily, his breath ragged and pained. "Viridian needs a Lord," he panted. "And Kanto needs a King to face Lance."

"I understand, my son." The Elder Oak bowed his head. "I am sorry," he said softly. "For everything."

"Don't be," he replied. "Call the banners to Viridian." He coughed violently, retching up another glob of blood. "Lance will move on it first." He looked up at his father weakly, taking his hand. "You won't have much time," he said softly. "Lance will not wait to consolidate his power here."

"I know," replied the Elder. "I have time for this." He lifted his son and cradled his weakening body against his chest. "We have time for this."

Lord Oak looked up at his father, the life fading from his eyes. He mumbled something unintelligible and smiled softly. "S'not ev'n cold," he said quietly. He opened his mouth as if to say something again, then stopped as the life left his body. His head drooped forwards and his hand fell from his father's grasp.

Samuel Oak gently lay his son on the ground, sobbing silently. He closed the man's eyes and placed the hilt of his son's blade in his hands. "Flare," he said quietly. He took the trio of pokeballs off his son's belt and stood up to look at his dragon.

His charizard stirred from where it had been watching. The dragon lumbered over to her master, footfalls seeming unnaturally muted. She nuzzled her scarred snout into her master's shoulder, a soft rumble escaping her throat.

"Burn him," Oak said. "Don't let him come back." He turned away as his charizard opened her jaw, immolating his son's body with a stream of flames. Oak bowed his head in silence as his pokemon worked. The searing heat vanished and Oak felt a soft nudge against his shoulder. Oak absentmindedly reached out, patting Flare's rough orange snout. "Can you fly?" he asked.

Flare shook her head, stretching out her injured wing for Oak to survey. Oak ran his fingers along the tattered wing, grimacing. "Won't be anything I can do about it here," Oak said. He pulled one of the balls off his belt and tapped it against Flare's wing. The dragon disappeared in a flash of brilliant white light, returning to the ball and leaving Oak by himself on the cliff.

He lifted one of his son's balls and tapped the button. The white light coalesced into the figure of a shaggy red-orange dog that stood as high as Oak's shoulder. His son's arcanine nuzzled up against him, happy to see a friendly face. "Arcfire," Oak started. "Gerald is gone." The arcanine whimpered softly, looking around for his master and whining softly when he didn't find him. "You have to go to Viridian," Oak said.

The arcanine lowered himself to the ground, allowing Oak to clamber atop him. "I am not going," he said "You must go." Oak ordered. A blast of brilliant light drew both dog and trainer's attention.

Lance's dragonite was flying above the battlefield, a brilliant beam of light streaming from its maw. The beam tore through the ranks of dead men and mon that approached the Johtan army. A second pair of dragonite rose from the heart of the Johtan army, spewing hyper beams of their own into the hordes of the dead.

The battle turned as the dragons continued their onslaught, hordes of the dead being reduced to bloody pieces in an instant. The living men and mon on the ground easily dispatched the remnants of the hordes, forcing themselves closer to the citadel of Indigo.

Oak watched as the doors of Indigo slowly swung open. Even from the great distance away, he saw the massive metal gates open and could swear he heard the grinding of metal on rock as they opened. Oak slipped away from his son's arcanine and stared in disbelief. "Those gates have never opened willingly…" he trailed off, staring at the exposed citadel. He swallowed the lump that formed in his throat, and turned to face the arcanine.

"Take this," he started, slinging his pack over the dog's head. "Take it directly to Gary." The old man took Flare's ball off his belt and stuffed it into the pack along with his sons. "Don't stop until you are there." He pulled away from Arcfire, looking back at the citadel as the arcanine dashed away from the cliff side. "I'm coming, dearest." He jumped off the cliff, releasing a pokemon from one of the balls as he fell.

The massive bird materialized beneath him, wings outstretched and already flaring to catch the wind. Oak landed on the pidgeot, hugging himself against the tan feathered bird's back. "To the citadel, Zephyr!" he ordered. "We have a part to play yet."

His pidgeot screeched a response before flapping its powerful wings. It rocketed off across the battlefield, swooping low over the ground. Oak clutched tightly to the bird, praying that the dragons above wouldn't notice the tan blur streaming towards the citadel.

A deafening roar spoiled his hopes. Oak glanced upwards, eyes searching the sky for a telltale flash of the dragonite's hyper beam. Oak's eyes widened, seeing the imposing form of a dragonite bearing down on them. He pulled hard to the side, sending Zephyr into a roll that stymied the youngest dragonite's attempt to end Oak. It crashed to the ground, tumbling along the rocky plateau and crashing to a halt. The roar of pain echoed above the sounds of battle, drawing the attention of the other pair of dragonite.

Zephyr shot through the gates of Indigo, immediately flaring his wings and banking to avoid one of the citadel's interior walls. Zephyr flapped madly, attempting to kill his momentum before he hit something solid. The bird's left wing connected with the wall as he flapped madly. Zephyr landed awkwardly, skittering to a halt on talons that weren't meant for walking. Zephyr gave a triumphant squawk and puffed out his chest, looking immensely proud of himself.

Oak slipped off his bird's back and looked back the way they had come. "Good bird," he said calmly. "Rest now, we will have need of your services later." He returned the pidgeot to his ball, taking stock of his surroundings. The citadel was abandoned as it had been the day he had left. Not a single brick was out of place, and the cobblestone path he had landed on showed no signs that the city had been home to armies of the dead.

"Samuel?" asked a soft, weak voice. "Is that you?" The voice floated through the empty citadel, coming from everywhere and nowhere at once. Hushed undertones strained themselves under the voice, threatening to break free at any moment.

Oak wheeled around, looking around what had once been a market square for the source. "Dearest, is that you?" he asked cautiously. "I came back. Just like I said I would."

A rush of spectral wind blasted through the market square, pushing Oak to the ground and tearing at exposed skin. "LIES!" the voice hissed, a multitude of voices competing to be heard. "You left us to ROT!" The wind stopped and the citadel grew eerily quiet. A young woman in pale grey robes, skin white as snow appeared in front of Oak, looking down at him. Her face was obscured by shadows, winds whipping off her as if she was the source of the demonic hurricane. "Trapped us here in the DARK!" The wind blew again, pushing Oak back into the ground as he attempted to rise.

She stepped forward, her pale grey hair unmoving in the spectral wind. "Agatha dearest, I-" Her hand slammed into Oak's throat, cutting him off with an icy cold grip. "I came back to take you away from here," he choked out through Agatha's grip. She tightened her grip, lifting Oak off the ground by his throat. Oak could feel the life being sucked out of his body, strength fading with every second. "I… love… you…" Oak coughed out.

Agatha released him and disappeared, dissipating into dust as the wind whipped through the square again. "Samuel…" her voice called. "It hurts so much." Her voice grew distant, blowing away on the wind. "Help me Sam…"

Oak struggled to his feet, gingerly touching the cold blue marks that Agatha's hand had left on his throat. "I'm trying to dearest," he said softly. "I promise you that I'm trying." He started off through the citadel, passing by empty barracks and deserted stables. Not a single noise or entity greeted him until he reached the keep that towered over the rest of the citadel.

"Agatha," Oak said sharply, greeting the mangled figure of a dead woman that appeared at the gates of the keep. "Will you allow me to enter?"

The corpse looked up from the ground, eyes meeting his. Rot and decay stared at him, an undead fire behind her eyes holding the shambling corpse upright. She raised the stump of her left arm and waved Oak through as the ancient doors slowly creaked opened.

The shadow of a dragon appeared over Oak's shoulder, blocking out the meagre sunlight. It landed in front of the gates to the keep, glaring menacingly at Oak. Lance appeared behind it, his dragonair slithering up beside his dragonite. He slipped off the dragon and drew his blade. "So," he spat venomously. "You are the traitor."

Oak raised his blade as the shambling corpse at his side collapsed. "No," he replied. "I would never betray my own."

"Then why do you stand before me?" Lance shouted, his dragonite growling menacingly behind him. "Let us end this godforsaken war. Enough people have given their lives for this."

Oak shook his head. "I cannot let you do that," he said solemnly. His free hand dropped to his belt, releasing the pokemon that Oak had raised for decades. "There is much that you do not understand. You must leave this place." His blastoise and venasaur growled behind him, glaring at the dragons that looked down on them. "You have played into Agatha's hands," he said, half pleading with Lance. "Please, you must leave."

Lance grinned and slowly reached up to his shoulder with his free arm. "I will do no such thing," he said as he removed his cape. He took a step towards Oak, glaring at the blastoise and venasaur that stood behind his former teacher. "This is your penance," he said solemnly. "You cast me out before I was ready." He swung his blade in an arc around him, drawing closer to Oak with every step. "And now you stand against the side of the living." He grinned and stopped just outside the range of Oak's blade. "This war is at its end. It is time to put an end to your treachery, Elder."

Oak dropped his hand to his belt, quickly releasing the pokemon that still sat in their balls before Lance could make a move. An alakazam was the first to materialize, followed quickly by a massive four armed beast and a man-sized bug with blades for arms. Oak stepped back, bringing his blade up to block Lance's as he did so.

A thundering roar from Lance's dragonite interrupted the battle, forcing Lance and Oak to separate and cover their ears. Oak's pokemon responded with roars of their own, sound drowned out by the rumbling of the dragonite's roar. Oak pointed at the dragonite, shouting words that were lost in the cacophony of sound.

Oak's blastoise opened its maw, spewing a vortex of ice and snow towards the pair of dragons. The dragonair avoided the icy blast, lithely slipping away from the attack and moving to intercept the machamp that bounded towards it. The dragonite withstood the polar vortex, roaring in pain as the snow and ice battered at its armoured hide. The snow and ice ceased, giving Lance's dragonite a momentary respite before a storm of razor sharp leaves erupted from the venasaur's back and shot towards the massive dragon.

"It's useless, old man!" Lance shouted over the leaf storm. "You will not stand in the way of progress!" He charged forwards, forcing Oak onto the defensive with a flurry of blows. His dragonair collided with the machamp as he did so, throwing the beast back towards the scyther. The lithe dragon charged towards them, descending on the pair with beastly ferocity.

Oak kicked at Lance's chest as he charged, catching the younger man in his side. Lance grunted in pain, stunned momentarily by the kick. He dropped his guard for an instant and was rewarded with the flat of Oak's blade slamming into the side of his head.

"I don't want to fight you," Oak said. "You were like a son to me once." Oak sheathed his blade and stepped back from the dragon master. "You can be again." He removed his sheath and dropped it to the ground in between them. "Come back to me," he said, pleading with every word. "I can explain all of this."

Lance shouted a wordless cry, suddenly charging his former mentor. He raised his blade to strike him down. A loud crack and a flare of light erupted in front of Lance. He flew backwards, tumbling along the cobblestone. Oak's alakazam shone with psychic power as it protected its master.

Lance pushed himself to his feet, looking furiously at the pokemon that had just foiled his revenge. "Dragonite!" he shouted up to his pokemon. The beast looked down at him and rumbled an acknowledgement. "End this charade!"

The dragonite roared triumphantly and stepped towards the two pokemon facing it. A massive bolt of lightning erupted from the dragonite's horns. It jumped to Oak's blastoise, frying its nervous system and sending it toppling to the ground in a twitching heap. It opened its maw as the venasaur desperately loosed another storm of razor leaves at it. Oak had to turn his head away as a torrent of flames erupted from the dragonite's maw and roasted his venasaur alive. Oak barely heard Zephyr's screeching cry as he dove towards the dragonite. His bird slammed into the ground lifelessly, twitching madly as the dragonite poured electricity into its hollow bones.

A loud crack and a muffled shriek drew Oak's attention to the dragonair. It uncoiled from the scyther, releasing the dying bug. The scyther attempted to flee, but its wings failed and it crashed into the dirt. It buzzed weakly, green ichor leaking from its ruined carapace. Oak's machamp bellowed in anger and charged the dragonair, blood leaking from a multitude of gashes all across its body. The dragonair launched into it, sinking its jaws into the machamp's shoulder as its body coiled around it to crush the life from its foe.

Lance looked up at his dragonite, a vicious grin worn on his face. "Hyper beam!" he ordered. The massive dragon reared back, a glowing ball of energy gathering in its maw.

Oak looked up at the dragonite, resigned to his fate. He closed his eyes, expecting oblivion's embrace to find him. His alakazam flared with energy, appearing in front of him with a pop. It held its spoons up, directing all the energy it could muster into one final desperate barrier.

The dragonite opened its maw, the scream of brilliant energy drowning out all sound. The alakazam exploded with psychic energy, bringing a barrier to life an instant before the hyper beam landed. Oak was thrown backwards, through the doors of the keep. He tumbled head over heels, landing on his back. He looked up with a groan as the gates slowly closed. The last thing he saw was his alakazam drop to one knee as its barrier faltered against the hyper beam. The gates slammed shut and he felt the earth shake as his last pokemon finally was defeated.

He closed his eyes as the roar of the hyper beam faded, telling him that nothing remained of the team he had spent his entire life training. He slowly forced himself to his feet, looking around the hall warily.

"Samuel!" hissed Agatha's voice, coming from directly to his side. "They have broken my seal on the citadel." She appeared across the hall from him, glowing with a pale sickly light. The pale young woman seemed to emanate black energy, her arms and legs obscured by the shadows that streamed off of her. "They are coming to kill us!" she hissed. The ominous wind blasted through the keep, whistling through the slit windows and blasting Oak against the closed door. "You brought them here!" she accused, appearing over Oak.

"No!" he shouted. "You were betrayed by Fuji." He rose to one knee, struggling against the spectral wind. "I came to help you escape."

The woman threw her head back and laughed. "There is no escape from the Spiritomb," she spat. "You knew that when you imprisoned me here." She shook her head, another blast of spectral wind forcing Oak back down to all fours. "Your spirit is strong. You will JOIN US!" she shouted, a cacophony of voices overwhelming her own. The wind shifted and a storm of purple miasma tore free of Agatha's body. The collective spirits imprisoned with Agatha's soul swirled around the room, sucking all natural light from the air.

The doors burst inwards, a pair of Lance's dragonair slipping through the doorway. They reared up, recoiling from the miasma as it burned at their scaly hides.

"ENOUGH!" screeched Agatha. She took a step towards the door and began stalking away from Oak. She raised one arm, tendrils of energy lancing out and ripping through the dragonair on the left's hide. The beast shrieked in pain as the black tendrils tore into its heart and silenced it. The beast fell in a heap, dead before it had collapsed to the floor.

It's partner screeched in anger, a brilliant ball of swirling energy gathering in its maw. Agatha disappeared as the dragonair loosed a pulse of draconic energy that ripped into the ancient stone wall where she had been standing mere moments before. She reappeared behind the dragon, calmly placing her hand on the beast's flank. It recoiled from the touch, seizing up as its heart ground to a halt and refused to pump blood.

Agatha turned and raised her arms, the ominous wind whipping past her and out the doors of the keep. A pair of ghostly figures appeared at her side, cackling madly. "Begone, Wataru!" she ordered in a voice that strained under the multitude of tones and forces underneath. "Your clan is not welcome here!" The spirits at her side leapt forward, diving into the shadows that streamed off of Agatha.

Oak seized upon the opportunity, dashing away from the fighting and deeper into the keep. "Agatha!" he called, yelling into the darkness. "Your apparitions will never hold them off!" He ran as fast as his battered old body could take him, rounding the corner and heading for the stairwells that led deeper into the citadel.

The keep rumbled as if in response. "I am SPIRITOMB!" the voice shrieked, all traces of Agatha's voice consumed by the other spirits. "Defy my will at your peril!" The keep shook violently, chunks of ancient stone falling apart after standing unmoving for generations. The floor dropped out from underneath Oak, plunging him into darkness as he fell. "JOIN US!" the voices screeched in anger. The keep shook as unearthly forces ripped apart the interior, clearing Oak's path as he fell and reshaping the ancient castle around him.

Oak smacked off a wall that slanted up to meet him, landing heavily on a staircase that formed out of the darkness. He rolled down the stairs, violently coming to a rest at the base of the huge staircase. He groaned heavily, attempting to roll to his side. "Agatha," he called weakly, groaning in pain as he felt his broken ribs shift. "Where are you?"

He heard a creak and something shuffling towards him. "I'm here Sam," said a tired old voice. "You finally came."

He rolled onto his side, eyes searching the shadows for the Ghost Queen. "I did," he said, wheezing heavily. "Just like I said." He pushed himself up into a sitting position, leaning against the staircase for support. "Where are you, dearest?"

She stepped into the meagre light, leaning heavily on her staff. Her body had aged rapidly in the years since Oak had last seen her. She shuffled forwards, bony white fingers clinging to her staff to support herself. "You're late," she said venomously. "I was beginning to think you'd never come back." She stepped forward again, hunched over and clutching to her staff for support. "Figures I'd have to lay the sword to Kanto for you to come running." She chuckled and approached Oak, dropping to one knee with an extreme effort. "Did you forget about our agreement?

"No," Oak panted, holding his left arm in close to his body. "I brought everything for the binding ritual, though I don't know if I have the strength to complete it alone." His left leg stuck out at and awkward angle, bent to the side just below his knee. "Figures I'd have to die just to get a glimpse at you again." He laughed despite the pain. "Must be what I get for loving the Queen of Ghosts."

She bent down with great effort. "You aren't dead yet Sam." She tapped her staff on the floor, a pulse of soft light glowing from the stone at the top of the staff. The light lifted Oak to his feet, forcing his left leg back into a proper position. He groaned as his shoulder popped back into place and felt his broken ribs fuse back together. She stood back up, panting from exhaustion.

Oak wobbled on his feet, steadying himself on the wall. He tested his leg experimentally, stretching it and seemingly satisfied with Agatha's work. "Agatha, we must leave," he said hurriedly. "Lance will be here in a few minutes. We don't have much time." He held out his arm to her, hoping that his old lover would take his arm.

"No," she said. She smirked, the thin smile revealing a row of rotting teeth that dared to fall out at a moments notice. "I am far too old to run. The Spiritomb has drained my body of its strength." She looked up at the top of the staircase as a crack of light appeared through the pile of debris. "You were right about one thing though," Agatha said, a modicum of strength filling her voice. "We are out of time."

Another crack of light appeared, followed by a deafening roar that ripped through the formerly hidden chamber. "The vaults are open," spat Agatha. "The board is set." She lifted an arm, the wall beside her disintegrating as she did so. A thin hallway led down and away from the chamber, obscured by pitch darkness. "My time has come, Samuel." She smiled at him, life returning to her sunken and wrinkled face for a moment. "Until we meet again?" she asked hopefully.

Oak took her hand in his own and kissed the thin ring that sat on a bony finger. "Until we are together for eternity," He replied in a sad tone. He looked down the hidden passage, then back at Agatha. "I love y-"

Agatha interrupted him, pressing her ancient form into his. For a moment, the world grew silent. She pressed a stone into his hand and looked at him with half-blind eyes. "No more, Sam." She pulled back as the barricade of debris crumbled under the assault of a dragon. The light faded from the rock she handed him and she slumped onto her staff a little heavier. She pushed Oak into the passage and sealed it behind him, the bricks piling back into place behind him. Oak tripped and slammed into the ground, feeling the ground shake violently.

The temperature dropped suddenly, screams of spectral wind audible through even the brick wall. "BEGONE TAMER!" Agatha's voice shrieked, answered by the thundering roar of Lance's dragonite. "You will fall, foul beast!" she shrieked as the keep rumbled with supernatural energy. The earth-shattering roar of Lance's dragonite shook the whole keep, nearly drowned out by the screaming of the ghostly energies howling through the keep.

Oak leapt to his feet, dashing down the passage and away from the unearthly forces that raged against the attempted usurper. Oak felt the thunderous impact of something tearing apart the keep and redoubled his efforts even as the passage crumbled behind him. He burst from the passageway into an antechamber, a cloud of dust blasting out of the passage behind him.

Oak doubled over, coughing dust and panting heavily. He looked up at the chamber he had entered, scanning the surroundings. The room was the exact same as it had been the last time he was there. The ancient stone walls rose up into the darkness, the ceiling obscured by a thick layer of fog that seemed to undulate and crash against the walls like a wave against the sea wall.

The stone doors that had stubbornly remained shut during his previous visit hung open, a harsh white light streaming out of the open doorway. Oak stepped through the doorway warily, taking every step carefully as he watched for traps. "Dearest," he started. He pocketed the stone Agatha had handed him, looking warily through the ancient door. "We're finally here." He smiled to himself, lowering his guard as he entered the vault. The door slowly closed behind him, plunging the antechamber into darkness and resealing the vaults that had opened for Oak.

The unearthly winds tore through the antechamber, weakening and dying completely as their master faded from existence. The triumphant roar of a dragonite shook what remained of the keep, collapsing the ceiling of the hidden chamber and burying it under tons of ancient stone.

* * *

 _Alright! Please do share your thoughts with me! I feed off them, hoarding them for the bad days. Give me your theories as you come up with them! Ask me your questions! I want it all!_


	2. The Fall of Viridian

_So, now that the necessary prologue is out of the way, the real story can begin! As always, please let me know what you thought with a review or pm!_

* * *

The sun shone high in the sky, peering through the sparse canopy at the edge of Viridian Forest. A half dozen men picked their way through the underbrush, combing the forest floor meticulously. The massive armoured beast slowly plowed through the fallen logs, cracking them open underfoot. It growled at a noise to its left, grey bone cannons bristling as the blastoise threatened the tree that had dared to shift in the wind.

"Looks clear!" Called one of the scouts. "No sign of the medium." He stepped off the fallen log, boots crunching trough the underbrush noisily. He stalked off, oblivious to the pair of disembodied eyes that stared at him from under the log. "If he was here, he's long gone now."

The eyes shrunk back into the log, a disembodied mouth grinning at the man hidden within the massive hollow log.

One of the men removed his helmet, brushing the sweat through his jagged mess of light brown hair. "Two patrols went missing in the forest in the last week. We know that the siege was commanded by at least one medium." He frowned, noticing a patch of underbrush that was browned and dying. "Looks like he was here after all," he called out. "Mediums suck the life out of their surroundings." He brushed aside the dead underbrush, revealing a hastily constructed shelter dug into the forest floor. He looked up at his men around him. "Looks like we found where he's been sleeping…" He said softly, voice trailing off.

"Master Oak," one of the scouts called. "We've got something up here." He poked at a decaying lump of leaves on the ground in front of him experimentally.

Gary Oak looked up from the makeshift shelter, eyes wandering over to his scout who stood over the misshapen lump under the dead leaves. "Careful!" He warned. "It could be one of those abominations."

The scout grinned as Gary and the rest of the scouts converged on him. "The siege broke over two weeks ago," He said. "We haven't found a single one of those abominations that wasn't rotting on the ground since then." He drew his blade and poked it into the pile cautiously.

As if on cue, the mangled remains of an arm shot from the pile of leaves, impaling the scout through his gut. The undead abomination rose from the decayed pile of leaves, forcing the splintered bones that remained of its arm through the scout's torso and lifted him into the air. It pulled the scouts blade from its shoulder with its free hand and dropped it to the ground.

"AMBUSH!" Shouted Gary, drawing his blade as his men mirrored him. "To me!" He ordered, charging the abomination that had killed his scout.

The undead machop gurgled an unintelligible cry from its mangled throat and ripped the bony stump of an arm out of the scout's gut. The man collapsed to the ground, clutching at the gaping wound in his stomach and whimpering in pain.

Gary impaled the machop through the chest, aiming for the undead beast's spine. The machop ignored the long sword skewering it and inched towards Gary, forcing the blade deeper as it waved the bony stump at Gary. Gary ripped his blade free of the machop who simply staggered back, a blank look on its undead features. A blast of pressurized water tore the top half of the machop away, splattering it into rotting pieces against a nearby tree.

"Ash!" Gary shouted to the sky. "We're under attack!" He slipped the shield on his back onto his arm, backing into a circle with the remaining scouts. His blastoise lumbered over to them slowly, growling and glaring around for any threats.

A guttural growl filled the air, followed by the sounds of undead feet dragging through the underbrush. A dozen human corpses shambled into the small clearing that the Viridian scouts now found themselves trapped in.

A tan blur dropped through a gap in the trees, flaring its wings as the pidgeot's rider leapt off its back. A blast of lightning erupted from the yellow mouse that followed the leather clad rider, dropping a pair of the walking corpses into twitching heaps. The pidgeot screeched and banked hard, avoiding a tree before angling back up through the gap in the canopy.

"Spotted another wave of these guys a few minutes out," he said as he drew his blade. "I sent Sketchit back to the guard post for reinforcements."

"An hour's march from here," Gary replied. "Too far to be any use to us now."

Ash shrugged. "It's just a few corpses," he said. "If we really need to, just let out Vetka." He smirked, thinking of the murderous scyther's penchant for bloodshed. He lifted his own ball off his belt, releasing a primeape that formed out of the stream of light. The ape beat its chest and bellowed a challenge at the approaching corpses.

"Form up!" Gary shouted. "Keep close," he ordered. "And for the love of Mew, don't let them touch you." He raised his blade, preparing for the approaching corpses.

The shambling bodies ground to a halt, regarding the group of scouts with glassy rotten eyes. Another half dozen corpses rose from rotting logs and piles of decaying underbrush, joining their undead brethren.

"It's futile," said a disembodied voice. "Surrender and most of you will be allowed to leave." The man clad in black stepped out of the hollowed log, wickedly curved daggers held in each hand. "Except for you, Lord Oak." He looked at Gary, face obscured by the shadows from his hood. "Lord Fuji would like a word."

"Then the bastard can come and beg for it himself," Gary spat. "Too many are dead and rotting for this to just go away."

The man raised his blades. "You misunderstand," he said calmly. "It was not a request. You come willingly or I kill all your men and drag you to him." He smirked under his hood. "It is a matter of utmost importance."

A sudden movement to Gary's left broke the medium's monologue. Ash had tossed his pikachu into the air, electricity streaming off it. A purple flash of light intercepted the bolt of lightning, snuffing it out inches from the medium. The man's haunter hung over his head, tongue stuck out at the Viridian scouts.

The man shrugged. "Very well," he started. "Death it is." He pointed forwards, urging his haunter forwards to meet Ash's pikachu. The electric mouse ducked under the haunter's disembodied claws, blasting lightning at the ghost as it passed. The haunter disappeared, reappearing on the opposite side of the clearing. Ash's pikachu leapt after it, chasing the ghost in a deadly dance of crackling lightning and purple flashes.

The corpses advanced, closing in on the group of scouts. "Blastoise!" Gary shouted. The giant turtle acknowledged him with a rumble. "Keep them off our back!" The turtle lowered its massive shoulder cannons, blasting a pair of the corpses into bloody pieces.

Gary swung his blade at the corpse shambling towards him, cleaving into its skull and dropping it to the ground. Beside him, Ash impaled the undead monstrosity charging him through the eye. It dropped to the dirt, joining Gary's kill on the ground. Ash's primeape leapt through the gap they had created, barreling through the crowd of corpses shambling into the clearing and sending them tumbling.

Another blast of pressurized water tore through a corpse, showering the scouts with gore and viscera. Gary's blastoise roared as it swung its massive tail in an arc, sending another pair of the shambling corpses stumbling. A pair of the scouts leaped out from the circle, dispatching the corpses with quick blows to the head.

A guttural growl filled the clearing. The medium stood atop the fallen log, glaring at the group of scouts that dared to defy him. He grinned and pointed forwards, urging a massive black blur forwards. Ash's primeape leapt from the pile of battered corpses that lay in heaps around it, intercepting the black beast with massive meaty fists. The giant dog latched onto the primeape's arm, tearing at it with fiery jaws. The primeape beat at the dog's head with its free arm, cracking the bone horns that adorned the houndoom's head.

"Gary!" Ash shouted. "Now would be a good time for the scyther." He dispatched another corpse as it approached, his blade skewering what remained of its brain. Another corpse replaced it, grabbing at Ash's shield clumsily. A flash of light beside him drew the corpse's attention before the bladed arm of a scyther removed its head.

Gary pushed forward, following the path of death that his scyther created. "To me!" He shouted. "Kill the medium!" He buried his blade into yet another corpse, dropping it to the ground with his blade lodged in his skull.

One of the scouts leapt forwards, shouting a warning that Gary had no time to heed. He threw himself into the corpse that advanced on Gary and buried his knife up to its hilt in the abomination's eye. He looked at Gary as one of the abominations tore into him, ripping out his throat with rotten teeth. Gary retrieved his blade as the scout fell, painfully ignoring the man's mangled cry for help.

Another cry of pain behind him drew Gary's attention. The pair of scouts that had leapt to assist his blastoise fell, overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of the dead. His blastoise roared again and blasted a path through the crowd with its cannons, too late to save the already dying scouts.

"Gary!" Ash shouted. He pointed at a wall of flames that burned away the shambling corpses as it closed. An arcanine leapt from the flames, heat shimmering off its shaggy orange fur. It snarled and slammed into the houndoom, clamping it's jaws around the base of the houndoom's neck. Arcfire wrenched the houndoom's neck to the side, snapping it and dropping the smaller dog instantly. Ash's primeape roared angrily, beating on the dead dog's prone form.

Gary charged forwards, followed closely by Ash. The last scout attempted to follow, but one of the abominations stepped in front of him. The scout rammed his blade through the corpse's skull and dropped it. The gap in the corpses that Ash and Gary had run through closed as the corpses advanced, cutting off the scout. Gary could only grimace as his scout screamed as he was torn to pieces.

"Blastoise!" He shouted, straining to be heard over the undead monstrosities. "Rapid spin!" The massive turtle retreated into his shell, corpses beating on it ineffectually. A jet of water shot from each of the holes, sending the turtle into a spin. It rocketed a path through the corpses, clearing out the clearing and leaving the ground soaked with a dirty mix of blackened blood and water. It popped back out of the shell, looking around satisfied at its handiwork.

Vekta buzzed around the clearing, eviscerating the few corpses that still struggled to move. The scyther came to a rest beside Gary, glaring at the medium that stood calmly atop the fallen log.

"I'm impressed," said the medium. He pulled back his hood, revealing a young face that seemed impossibly filled with life. "The Oak line is indeed a worthy one." He sheathed his daggers and sighed. "It is indeed a shame that you are the last."

"What do you mean?" Gary asked. "I cannot be the last. My father…" He glanced over at the arcanine, realization dawning on him. "Gramps…"

The medium nodded. "They fell at Indigo," he said solemnly. "As did my Queen."

Gary felt his throat tighten. "Then they fulfilled their duty." He raised his blade, mustering what courage he could. "Lavender's reign is at an end." Ash appeared at his side, mirroring his stance with his own blade raised. "And it is time for you to die."

"On the contrary," he started. "I have a proposition." He stepped off the log, holding up an arm. His haunter appeared, grinning at the Lord of Viridian sadistically. Ash's pikachu appeared from the underbrush, sparking angrily as he returned to his master's side. "I will allow myself to become your prisoner." He unbuckled the dual sheath in his belt and tossed it to them. "I am beaten," he said. "My strongest pokemon lies dead, my powers are exhausted. I am at your mercy."

Ash shook his head angrily. "The men of Viridian deserve justice. Too many lay dead in this field alone for you to escape proper justice." He stepped forward, glaring at the medium. "The friends we lost in your war-"

"Not my war," replied the medium. "Not all of us are mindless members of some death cult." He pulled the ball that had held his houndoom from the pouch on his belt and tossed it towards Ash. "Some of us just don't want to die."

Gary stepped forward, motioning for Ash to lower his blade. "I hope you know that I expect something in return for sparing your life." He looked down at the corpses around him, eyes lingering on the dead scouts. "These were my men," he said. "I grew up with most of them." He sheathed his blade, glowering at Ash to do the same. "I'd much rather lop off your head than spare your life."

"I can offer information," he said. "Mediums can share information telepathically with our ghosts. Using them, I can offer troop movements, numbers, weaknesses, nearly anything you'd want to know." He looked out at the dead in the clearing. "We can work together." He hung his head in sorrow. "Fuji will already know of my defeat here. What is left of my family will have already paid the price for it." He dropped to one knee and held his wrists up to Gary.

"Ash," Gary started. "Find me some cuffs." He looked up at the haunter that floated behind the medium. "How do I know that this isn't just a ruse?"

The medium smirked. "I suppose that you don't," he replied. "But what choice do you have?" He looked off in the direction of Viridian City. "I have a feeling that you will have need of me before the day is through."

Ash held up a pair of bloody cuffs, retrieved from one of the bodies in the clearing. He marched over to the medium, snapping the cuffs closed over his wrists. "I'm watching you," he said, venom barely concealed in his voice.

"I'd expect nothing less," replied the medium. "These are trying times" He looked at Gary knowingly, half smirking. "Your father did not fall in battle against the dead," he started. "He was betrayed."

Gary raised an eyebrow, interest piqued. "By who?" He asked. "How do you know this?"

"I have a ghastly that was following the Kantoan army," started the medium. "They were betrayed by someone in their own ranks. The Lord of Pewter and Lady of Cerulean fell before the battle even began." He looked at Gary, unsure of how much to say. "The army broke and ran," he started. "And Lance killed your father as punishment."

Gary shook his head angrily, unsure of how to react. "How do I trust you?" He asked. "Who would stand to benefit most from a war between Kanto and Johto?"

The medium shrugged. "Lavender," he started. "But what reason would I have to lie?" He looked at Gary, trying to gauge his response. "Lance vowed to repay every drop of Johtan blood a thousandfold. He means to strike at Viridian and force Kanto to kneel to him."

Gary looked at Ash, mind racing. "What should we do?" He asked. "Do you trust him to be honest?"

Ash hauled him to his feet, roughly grabbing the taller man by his collar. "Let's go," he said, looking at Gary. "It's an hour's march to the guard post, and I'll feel better once we've got another dozen men watching this one." He held tightly to the medium's collar, refusing to let the man from his grip. "I won't trust a damn word he says until I hear it from a Lance himself." He shifted uncomfortably. "He was a good man," he started. Ash's eyes shifted, trying not to meet Gary's. "We'll find out what-"

Gary nodded. "Get started," he said, interrupting Ash. He looked at Arcfire, eyes threatening to well up with tears. "I've got something to do."

Ash looked at the shaggy arcanine, unsure of what to say. "Gary…" he started.

Gary shook his head. "Just go Ash." His eyes met his father's most loyal pokemon's. "I need to be alone."

Ash stepped backwards, pulling the medium with him. "It's alright Gary," he said. "You'll be a great Lord." He turned when Gary didn't respond, wheeling around and shoving the medium towards the guard post. His primeape lumbered along behind him, glaring at the back of the medium's head.

Arcfire bowed his head, allowing the charred leather pack slung around him to fall in front of Gary. He nudged it open with his nose, revealing the four balls within.

"He left you guys to me?" Gary asked. He lifted the balls, placing them in the pouch on his belt. Arcfire lowered himself to the ground, allowing the young Lord of Viridian to clamber atop him. Gary patted the arcanine's neck, tears streaming down his face as he pressed himself into his father's pokemon. He stayed there, numb to the sounds of the forest as he mourned.

* * *

The column of men halted, the leading pair locked in argument. "The hell are we supposed to do then?" Asked Tracey. He brushed his fingers through his hair, slicking it back with sweat as Viridian's sweltering summer heat beat down on him. "Ketchum's orders were to meet him for clean up."

The scout shook his head, pointing out towards the billowing smoke in the distance. Viridian burned blue, dragonfire ripping through her streets and torching her inhabitants. "Screw clean up," he spat. "Viridian is burning." He looked around at the other men. "We need to help."

"You saw the dragons as clear as I did!" Shouted Tracey. The islander pointed at the city, shaking. "What do you think a few scouts are going to be able to do?" He shook his head angrily. "We need to find Ash and Gary."

A pidgeot landed beside the column of men, interrupting the argument. Ash slid off the back of his pokemon, jet black hair a sweaty mess. "Regroup at the guard post," he ordered. "Lord Oak is to meet you there with a prisoner."

The scout that had been arguing with Tracey looked at Ash desperately. "Sir," he started. "Lord Oak would understand. Viridian is our home."

Ash shook his head. "It's my home too," he said. "You have your orders." He looked out at Viridian sorrowfully as smoke spewed into the sky, alit with blue dragonfire. "There's nothing we can do now."

A massive dragonite rose above the keep, drawing all attention as it ominously rose into the sky. A few scattered blasts of lightning and flames leapt from the keep to meet it, washing harmlessly over the orange dragon's scales. The dragon opened its maw, a beam of brilliant light spewing forth and impaling the keep.

Ash watched in horror, ignorant to the cries of the men around him as he dropped to his knees. A brilliant explosion ripped through the keep, tearing apart the century-old stone structure. It crumbled as the explosion faded, collapsing in on itself and leaving a smoking ruin behind.

"Mom," Ash said, staring in disbelief as the city burned before his eyes. "I'm sorry." He closed his eyes, tears falling into the dirt in front of him. The roar of the dragonite roused him from his sorrow, giving him the strength to rise to his feet.

"Ash," started Tracey, unsure of what to say. "What do we do?" He asked.

Ash swallowed the lump in his throat, turning to face the men that relied on him. "You follow the orders that you have been given." He turned to face Tracey, face an emotionless mask. "Regroup with Gary at the guard post," he said. "The situation has changed." He looked at his pidgeot, eying the bird with a guilty look.

He looked back at the dragonite as it savagely descended on the burning city, snuffing out one of the few remaining pockets of survivors with a torrent of blue flames. "We have a new enemy," he said. The scattered few pockets of resistance faded until the city burned in silence. Lance's dragonite hung over the city, a draconic harbinger of death. A pair of dragonite rose from the streets, azure flames reflecting brilliantly off of the dragons scaly orange hides. They joined the larger dragonite and moved westward, back towards the mountains that they had emerged from.

Tracey nodded to Ash, acknowledging his command. He motioned to the man he had been arguing with, silently ordering him to begin his march back towards the guard post. "What are you going to do?" He asked. "If this is true," he started. "We're going to need our commander."

Ash frowned and shot him a look. "Gary is your commander now." He looked at Tracey, eyes meeting the islander's own. "He's the Lord of Viridian now." Ash closed his eyes, sighing heavily. "And he'll need all the support he can get, especially if Lance has crossed the Argent Mountains for war."

"That's why we need you," Tracey said. "We need every man to even have a chance."

Ash shook his head. "We'll need more," he said. "We'll need every man in Kanto united against this."

Tracey smiled, despite the burning city in the distance. "Kanto already united against the dead," he started. "She'll unite to face the dragon too."

"I hope that you're right," Ash said. "For all our sakes." He looked back at Viridian mournfully. He mounted his pidgeot, looking down at the islander. "Keep the men in line," he ordered. "I'll be in the sky." He held fast as his pokemon launched itself into the sky, every wingbeat taking him further away from the burning city.


	3. Kanto's Hope

_Another chapter and the world gets a little larger. My personal favourite character makes their first appearance in this chapter! Cookies to anyone who guesses!_

 _*Cookies are imaginary only_

* * *

The pair of birds hung high in the sky, coasting on the column of hot air rising into the sky over Viridian Forest. The larger bird flapped once, it's wingspan dwarfing the others bird's, and rose up to meet it. The larger fearow eyed the pidgeot, razor sharp beak shining in the sun.

"Think that's them?" Gary asked, shouting to be heard over the wind. "I don't see any Johtan banners," he shouted.

Ash peered down off the side of his pidgeot, looking at the makeshift camp just north of the forest. "Don't see many banners at all," he replied. "None from Fuchsia or Cinnabar." He looked up at Gary, squinting his eyes in the harsh sunlight. "I don't remember the army being that small when they left."

Gary frowned, still looking down at the encampment. "Bring the men up to the forest's edge." He looked up at Ash cautiously. "I still don't trust the medium, but if he's telling the truth and we've been betrayed…" he trailed off, slowly looking back down at the encampment.

"I'll get the men ready for anything," Ash replied. "Anything further?" He asked.

Gary shook his head. "No," he said. "Until we know more, we are to consider everyone to be an enemy." He looked back over Viridian Forest, the smoking ruins of Viridian City no longer visible in the distance. He could still see the amber glow in the distance, fires still burning the remains of the city away. He shook his head, pushing Viridian from his mind. "If Lance decides to move on Pewter I want us ready to move."

Ash nodded to him. "Yes m'lord." He squeezed his heels together, sending his pidgeot into a steep dive. Gary watched his pidgeot flare it's wings and land in the small clearing the pair had taken off from. The pidgeot disappeared in a corona of light, sucked back into its ball as Ash set off into the forest.

Gary returned his attention to the encampment, trying to study the banners from above. "Ok," he started absentmindedly. He patted his father's fearow on the neck, caressing her feathers affectionately. "Let's see who we've got here." He looked down, studying the army as best as he could from above.

He easily marked the contingent of men from Pewter. Their banner flew above the largest tent in the encampment, with most of the other tents spreading out from their own. A massive coil of rocks lay beside the largest tent, telling him that Brock had likely taken command of Pewter City's army. He sighed in relief and slowly angled his fearow into a lazy descent towards the forest.

His heart sunk as he spotted an Oak tree adorning a banner beside Pewter's. The banner hung lower, as if to enforce the loss of the Oak family's patriarchs. Gary frowned at the prospect of breaking the news of Viridian's destruction to the men. He shook his head, willing the tears away as he descended.

Cerulean's banner was noticeably absent, as were the many banners of Celadon and Vermillion. Only a lone banner from Saffron flew above one of the tents, tucked away from the main encampment. He frowned, upset by the many banners of his father's allies that were plainly missing. When Lance had come to Viridian and asked for his father's help it had taken every favour he could call in, and promises of favours to be repaid, to bring Kanto together. Now, he looked down on less than a third of Kanto's combined strength.

"How quickly they run," Gary started. He patted his father's fearow on the neck, eliciting a satisfied squawk from the bird. "How am I supposed to bring them all back together?" He wondered aloud.

As if to respond to him, his father's fearow let out a piercing cry. She folded her wings back against her side, dropping like a rock with Gary clinging to her back. Her wings shot out, catching them and carrying them mere inches over one of the outlying tents. She let out another cry, screeching over the tents as she flew. Her wings flared and flapped madly, bringing the two of them to a halt in front of the onix that rose from its coils.

Gary slipped off her back, looking up at the fearow. She stood tall and proud, wings outstretched to make herself look larger. She let out one last piercing cry, answered by a deep rumbling roar from the onix that faced her. Men hastily filtered through the tents, most still desperately donning their armour as they formed up to face what they thought was a threat.

Gary cleared his throat, looking angrily up at the fearow. "We are going to be having a talk about this," he said sternly. "I know dad is gone," he said. "But you are to listen to me." The fearow looked back at him blankly, feigning ignorance.

Brock's onix let out a roar, challenging the bird that had dared disturb its slumber. It's master stood dutifully at its side, dwarfed by the mountain of rock that towered over everyone. "Ho there," Brock shouted across at Gary. "Identify yourself," he ordered.

Gary cleared his throat, stepping out of the fearow's shadow. "Lord Gerald Oak of Viridian," he said proudly, attempting to project his voice as loudly and powerfully as he could. "I've come to take command of Viridian's army." The few men that Gary recognized in the throng of men stirred, looking nervously among themselves.

Brock cracked a grin, realizing who stood before him. "At ease," he ordered. His men lowered their weapons warily, still wary of the man who had ridden a screeching fearow into the heart of their camp. "It's an old friend." He crossed the distance between Gary and himself, eager to greet his childhood friend.

Gary stood impassively, arms folded in front of him. "Brock," he started. "My apologies for the entrance." He looked pointedly up at the fearow. "Someone had ideas about how best to announce our presence."

Brock pulled Gary into a crushing hug, lifting the smaller boy off the ground momentarily. "Nonsense," he boomed. "I'd expect nothing more from the Lord of Viridian." He released Gary and stepped back, his grin fading. "It's damn good to see you," he said quietly. "Dad's dead," he started.

Gary frowned. "I know," he replied curtly. "A medium told me."

"A medium?" Brock asked incredulously. "Since when do we trust those?"

Gary shot Brock a look that silenced him immediately. "We don't." He unfolded his arms, frowning. "I think we need to have a discussion about our next move," he said. "In private."

Brock nodded. "Agreed." He turned to the men gathered around him, jovial smile returning. "Alright men," he boomed. "Enough lollygagging, back to work!" The Pewter soldiers grumbled, slowly dispersing back into the camp. A few dozen men remained behind, looking at Gary hopefully. Brock smiled at him weakly. "I'll leave you to your men," he said solemnly. "I'll be in my tent when you're ready." Brock turned and walked back to Pewter's command tent, only pausing to coax his mountain of an onix back into a deep slumber.

Gary watched him go as the men of Viridian approached him. They formed a rough semi-circle, more slowly emerging from the tents to join their kinsmen. He cleared his throat, looking up at the fearow that had brazenly brought him here. The bird glared back with what Gary could have sworn was a smug grin borne on its avian features.

The first soldier dropped to one knee and bowed his head. Each and every soldier followed his lead, bowing their heads in fealty to the new Lord of Viridian. "My Lord," started the lead soldier. "We pledge our blades to you." He looked up, eyes filled with hope for the first time since the battle at Indigo. "We pledge fealty to you, to serve you as faithfully as we did your father."

Gary nodded, accepting their pledge. He smiled, proud for a moment that the men considered himself worthy to take his father's mantle. "Rise, my friends." He looked up at his fearow. "I am honoured." He looked back at his men as they stood. "I have grave news," he started. "Lance himself had laid waste to Viridian. The keep has fallen, and the streets burned with dragonfire." He swallowed the lump in his throat and closed his eyes as the pained cries of his men burst forward. "We are what is left of Viridian."

The lead soldier looked up at him mournfully. "My Lord," he started. "What are we to do?"

"We fight back," Gary stated. "We bring the might of Kanto to bear against Lance, and drive him back across the Argent Mountains." He folded his arms, looking coldly out at his men. "We unite Kanto, or Lance will burn the cities one by one until naught is left but ash."

The lead soldier nodded, looking back at the men. "Then we are yours," he stated. "For Viridian."

Gary nodded back. "For Viridian," he said sadly. He clutched the handle of his blade tightly in his hand. "For dad," he mumbled under his breath. He looked around at his men, heads all bowed in silence. He sighed and looked up to the sky, hoping desperately that he would be strong enough to take his father's place.

* * *

Ash looked down at the encampment cautiously. "Still no sign of Gary," he said. "He should have been back by now." The sun hung low on the horizon, bathing the rocky plains that sat to the north of Viridian Forest with an amber glow. His pikachu sat lazily beside him, lounging on a small boulder that sat in the sun.

Tracey knelt beside him, running a whetstone down his blade. "Relax," replied the islander. "Somebody will make contact with us eventually. Gary wouldn't have landed if he believed there to be danger." He held up his blade, eying the edge. He lowered the blade, spotting a familiar glow emerging from the edge of the camp. "Looks like you spoke too soon," he said with a smile.

Ash stepped forwards, staring at the arcanine emerging from the tents. Gary sat atop the massive dog, looking out into the forest. Ash held out his arm, allowing his pikachu to hop onto him and clamber up to his shoulder. He stepped out of the shadows of the forest, yelling out to Gary as he approached. "I was wondering if we were going to have to storm the camp to get you back." He stopped as Arcfire came to a halt in front of him. His pikachu leapt off his shoulder, nestling itself in Arcfire's shaggy orange coat.

"Wasn't my choice to land," Gary replied. He looked up at the shadow soaring high above the camp. "Dad's fearow had an idea and decided to act on it." He looked back at Ash. "Bring the prisoner, we've got to meet Brock."

"Brock?" Ash asked. "He's here?" He waved back towards the tree line, beckoning then scouts forward. The column of men emerged from the tree line, medium dragged in chains behind Tracey at the rear of the column. Tracey pushed him forward, tossing Ash the key to the manacles on the medium's wrists.

"Get on," Gary ordered. "We have a meeting immediately." He held out his arm, hauling the medium onto the giant dog and beckoning for Ash to follow. "The rest of you are to meet with Sir Ritchie immediately," Gary ordered. "He will brief you on our next moves." He looked out at the column of scouts and smiled. "We are safe for the moment," he said with the barest traces of a smile on his face.

Ash clambered onto Arcfire's back, still holding tightly onto the medium. "What's this about?" He asked, holding tightly as Arcfire wheeled around and trotted back towards the camp. "Why are we bringing him?" He asked venomously.

"You know," started the medium. "I have a name, if you'd ever care to learn it."

Ash frowned at the man in front of him. "I wouldn't care to learn a damn thing about you," he spat. "Not after the things that-"

"Enough!" Shouted Gary, drowning their argument out. "Ash, you are to be my right hand at a time where I need allies most." He turned on Arcfire's back, glaring past the medium at Ash. "Disrespect me again and I'll have you relegated to stable duty." He turned away, looking ahead in silence.

"Gary, I-" Ash started desperately.

"No," Gary replied shortly. "He may be our prisoner, but he has shown us no ill intent since our agreement." He looked at the medium, who shot him a cautious look. "He has provided us information that could give us an advantage." He stopped, letting the ride continue in silence for a moment. "I don't need to remind you that we are in need of every advantage we can garner."

Ash straightened his back, frowning. "Yes, M'Lord." He looked up ahead, eyes finding Brock waiting in front of his onix. "I will withhold my reservations on this matter in the future."

Gary slipped off his arcanine, regarding Ash with a slight frown. "I can't have you undermine me," he said angrily. "Our position is weak." He lifted an arm, recalling his arcanine as Ash and the medium slipped off after him. "I need you at my side, and I cannot have that with the way that you have acted." He crossed his arms in silence, letting the hurt behind his words sink in. "I need you, Ash. I can't do this without you." He turned away before the other boy could respond, stalking off towards Brock. Pikachu hopped up onto Ash's shoulder, nestling in Ash's neck affectionately.

"You know," started the medium, interrupting Ash's thoughts. "He does have a point." He turned his head to look at Ash, smiling slightly. "You can't afford infighting." His eyes flashed purple imperceptibly, glowing softly for a fraction of a second. He looked up worryingly before looking back down at Ash's face. "Hey," he started as Ash visibly winced. "Are you alright?" He asked.

Ash shook his head, trying to clear his head. He shoved the medium forwards and closed his eyes, almost wincing from the building pressure in his mind. "Get moving," he spat venomously. He frowned as the medium obliged him. "I'm not forbidden from knocking you on your ass," he said. "Lecture me again," he threatened. His hand inched towards the blade on his belt, still glaring at the back of the medium's head. He was vaguely aware of something pinching the back of his neck, but he disregarded the sensation coldly.

Ash slowly and silently drew his blade, glaring at the medium. The pressure in his mind kept building, growing unbearable until all he could feel was his burning hatred towards the medium. He reached out, grabbing the medium and spinning him around to face him. Ash slammed the hilt of his blade into the medium's nose, splattering the both of them with a spray of blood. He stepped forwards as the medium fell, already bringing up his blade to strike a killing blow.

The medium's haunter screamed out of its master's chest, outstretched arms wreathed with deathly energy. Ash jumped backwards, momentarily startled by the ghost's sudden appearance. He swung ineffectually, blade passing through the haunter without biting into anything solid. The haunter laughed maniacally, wrapping its disembodied hands around Ash's throat. Ash closed his eyes and dropped his blade, desperately grasping at his throat as the pressure in his head increased even further. He shut his eyes, trying to block out the pain of the haunter's claws digging into his neck and resist the blackness that had crept in at the edges of his vision. A blast of lightning erupted from his shoulder, coursing through the haunter and knocking the ghost away from Ash.

The pressure lifted suddenly and Ash sucked in a breath. He fell back, looking up and expecting the medium to be standing over him ready to strike the killing blow. Instead, the mad grin of a jagged shadow met his eyes. It laughed and pushed towards Ash, battering through the incorporeal haunter that leapt in front of it as if it wasn't even there. He shrieked and desperately scrabbled away from the ghost, trying to escape the apparition's wicked black claws. The medium's haunter strained against the larger ghost, swirling around it in an incorporeal haze of miasma. The temperature dropped to a bone chilling cold, the very presence of the powerful ghost enough to chill the sunny day.

The medium stepped in front of Ash, obscuring the ghosts from his view and replacing it with a fresh hell. Tendrils of black shadows streamed off the medium's still bound arms as he stood between Ash and the gengar. He pushed the gengar back wherever it managed to slip past the haunter with the tendrils of the shadows. He chanted madly into the spectral wind that howled over the camp, voice drowned out and lost in the wind. He held up his arms, and a tendril of darkness burrowed into the manacles on his wrists. The manacles cracked open, shattering and falling to the ground where they lay abandoned.

A barrier of light formed in front of the medium, separating him from the warring ghosts. The shadows streaming out of his own black essence recoiled upon contact with the brilliant barrier, coiling around him and hissing in pain. The woman appeared beside him, garbed in a simple white kimono with purple accents. An alakazam popped into existence beside her, raising the pair of spoons he held towards the barrier. She reached up with one arm, her eyes flaring with psychic energy. The barrier flared, forming a shimmering dome over them as the gengar overpowered the medium's haunter.

The gengar cackled as it tore into the medium's haunter. Ash covered his ears as the smaller ghost screamed in pain, the gengar ripping its incorporeal form into shreds with vicious claws. The haunter sank to the ground, purple shadowy gas hissing from the many gashes on its incorporeal form.

The psychic woman closed her eyes, concentrating a swirling vortex of psychic energy in front of her. Her alakazam mirrored her, drawing his own rainbow of energy into a vortex in front of him. The gengar lashed out, slamming into her barrier and clawing at it violently. The barrier buckled, cracks forming all along the dome's shimmering surface. The gengar reared back and dove headlong into one of the cracks just as the woman and her alakazam loosed their pent up psychic energy.

The gengar disappeared in the explosion of light, it's wicked smile still borne on his face as the twin psybeams tore through its form and banished it from the mortal plane. The chill disappeared from the air, the sunlight beaming down on the camp from above.

The onix shifted, uncoiling around Brock and Gary. A dozen soldiers stood warily around the onix, leaving the massive snake enough room to move without crushing them. A trio of men in pure white leather armour dashed into the clearing beside the command tent, looks of abject horror worn on their faces.

One of the men stepped forwards, dropping to his knee and bowing his head. The men behind him followed his lead. "My Lady Natsume," he started. "I would like to remind you that we are here for your protection."

She smirked at the man. "And I am in no need of protection." She turned away and sighed. "I told my father as much when he assigned you to be my guardian."

The bodyguard rose to his feet, his two silent companions mimicking his actions. "Regardless of your wishes, I answer to your father." He frowned at her, and crossed his arms. "I would strongly urge that you refrain from leaving our sides while we are outside Saffron."

She waved her arm as he continued to lecture her. A barrier appeared in between them and the man's voice shrunk in volume. He sighed in exasperation and rolled his eyes before sinking back to one knee. "As you wish, Sabrina." The barrier disappeared and she dismissed the man with a lazy wave.

Ash stirred, looking around warily. The medium was crouched over the misshapen lump of shadows that lay on the ground beside him. The lump of shadows dissolved into the dirt as Ash watched. Ash's pikachu looked at the medium nervously, sparks starting to jump along his cheeks. "Pikachu," Ash said, getting his pokemon's attention. "No," he ordered. The yellow rodent shrunk back from the medium, returning to his master's side.

Ash rose to his feet, lifting his pikachu onto his shoulder. The rodent settled there as Ash approached the medium. "Are you ok?" Ash asked cautiously.

The medium stood up and looked back at Ash, his face an emotionless mask. "Yes," he said coldly. He lifted his hand, shadows swirling around his palm. He closed his eyes, concentrating the energy in his palm. The shadows thrashed madly, awkwardly taking shape as the medium forced the ghost into existence. He opened his eyes, exhaustion plain on his face. His haunter licked the side of his head, leaving a glob of ghostly saliva running down the side of the medium's face. "Glad to have you back," he said softly to his ghostly companion.

Ash looked at the medium unsure of what to say to the man that had just likely saved his life. "What was that?" He asked, all traces of his former bravado gone. "I thought that-"

"It was a gengar," said the woman. "A particularly powerful one too, if I am correct." She crossed her arms, glaring at the medium. "It was likely here for this one," she said with a knowing smile. Her eyes glowed with a soft pink light as she looked at the medium.

"Get out of my head," spat the medium. He glared at the woman, eyes cold. "It's not yours to read."

The woman shot him an amused look. She smiled, understanding blossoming across her features. "I see," she said with a smile. "You have a troubled mind." The glow faded from her eyes as she looked away from the medium.

The medium stepped towards her, shadows growing around his fists. "I told you to get out of my head," he said coldly.

She smiled at him warmly. "It does not take a mind reader to see that you are troubled." She looked at Ash, smile fading. "I believe that you can trust him," she said, answering Ash's train of thought.

"Excuse me?" He asked. "How did you know-"

"She's a psychic," spat the medium. He looked at her with utter contempt on his face. "She can read your thoughts," he continued. "Everything in your head is like a damn book for her."

She nodded, looking at the medium curiously. "That is true," she said. "But only partly." She turned to face Gary and Brock as they approached. "I believe that we should finish this exchange later," she said.

Brock nodded. "That would be best," he said. "We have more pressing matters." He turned, facing the massive tent that sat beside his onix. He gestured for them to follow him as he entered the tent.

Gary stepped into the tent behind him, marvelling at the size of the tent. He looked at the war table that sat in the middle of the tent, a map of Kanto and Johto laid out on it. He bent over the map, studying the many markings that Brock had made on the map.

"I won't soften anything," Brock said as he took his place opposite Gary. "We were beaten at Indigo." He tapped on the plateau solemnly. "Something powerful ambushed my father and Lady Kasumi," he paused for a moment, voice wavering. "Without them to lead us, the army broke and ran."

"I believe I can shed some light on the events at Indigo," said the medium. "I have a ghastly that was monitoring the battle for me." He leaned over the map and looked around the table. "I was watching Lance, relaying all his movements and plans back to Lord Fuji." He gave Gary a guilty look before looking back down at the table. "Lance was incensed by Kanto's betrayal. He thought that it was planned by Lord Oak and his father."

Gary looked from the table suddenly. "There was no such betrayal," he said confidently. "My father would have never turned on the Johtans unless they forced his hand."

"What about the Elder?" Asked Brock. "Your grandfather had ties to Agatha before she took her throne." He frowned, upset by the implications he was making. "Is it possible that he is somehow at fault for this?"

Gary shook his head. "He would never turn on Kanto." He looked down at the map. "His time with Agatha ended long before she became queen."

"Gary," started Ash. "If there's any possibility that he-"

"No," Gary replied forcefully. "Something else happened." He looked back at the map, trying to think of some other way they could have been betrayed.

"Regardless," said the medium. "Lance killed Lord Oak for the betrayal. He pledged to return every drop of Johtan blood a thousandfold." He pointed to the line running south that marked Victory Road. "My ghastly stayed with the Johtan army after the battle," he said. "They're currently exiting the Argent Mountains and moving to camp in the ruins of Viridian City."

Brock frowned, pointing at the bottom of the mountain range that divided Kanto and Johto on the map. "As far as we can tell, most of Kanto's army made for the Cinnabarean fleet anchored off of Tohjo Falls." He crossed his arms. "As best we can tell, they're still headed there. They could all be back home within the month if winds are favourable."

He pointed at the thin line leading out of the mountains towards Pewter. "I led the forces that you saw here through a small pass from Victory Road." He tapped on the massive mountain that stood between Pewter and Cerulean. "One of Lady Kasumi's daughters followed us through the pass, and departed for Cerulean a few days ago."

"So," Gary started as he studied the map. "We stand alone, with most of Kanto scattered to the wind." He looked up at the group, trying not to lose hope. "Where do we start?" He asked aloud.

The psychic woman looked up at him, breaking the silence. "With Lady Kasumi dead, Cerulean will fall to one of her daughters." She crossed her arms, studying Gary as if he were some strange specimen. A smile crossed her lips as Gary reached the conclusion that she was hinting towards. "Yes," she said. "The sisters will fight among themselves if left unchecked."

"We need to convince them to turn that energy on Lance," Gary said, looking across the table at the woman. "Else they will tear each other apart and leave Lance to clean up the scraps." He looked between Ash and Gary, plan forming in his mind. "The sisters have all had designs on Cerulean's throne for years. With their mother gone, all four will be vying for control of the city."

Ash looked between the two of them expectantly. "Then I guess we know our next move," he said, breaking the silence. "We go to Cerulean and keep the sisters from killing each other."

Gary nodded, looking up at the Sabrina. "Can I count on your help?" he asked. "You've proved yourself a powerful ally, which is something I am sorely in need of."

She nodded approvingly. "I was planning on it," she said. She bowed her head, looking down at the table. Saffron was not fully committed to aiding your father," she said. "Perhaps if we had sent our full strength to assist him, then things might have been different." She bowed her head in shame and lowered her voice. "On behalf of my family, I intend to right that wrong."

Gary nodded at her. "Thank you, Lady Natsume." He bowed his head towards her in a sign of respect. "Now, if we are to make it to Cerulean before the sisters kill each other then we should move."

"I'll stay here," Brock said, still studying the map. "Pewter's walls have never been breached and I intend to keep it that way." He shrugged and looked back down at the map. "Besides, you'll need to move fast to reach Cerulean in time. An army is a lot of things, but it does not move quickly."

"You have enough supplies to withstand a siege?" Gary asked. "And what if Lance comes here himself?"

"Then he will face a rock-hard defence," Brock stared bluntly. "I will not leave Pewter undefended with an invasion underway." He crossed his arms in defiance. "Pewter's walls will hold," he said, confidence giving his voice strength. "As will her food stores."

"Then it is decided," Gary said. "Brock will hold Pewter while we go to Cerulean." He looked around the room, half-expecting them to find hole in their plan and prove Gary unworthy of leadership. Only approving nods and determined stares met his gaze.

"My Lord!" Called one of the guards posted at the entrance to the tent. "A messenger is here from the pass lookout," he said. "They've spotted a Johtan force moving through the pass from Indigo."

Brock raised an eyebrow. "Well," he started. "It seems that the enemy intends to make their move sooner than later." He looked up at Gary and crossed his arms across his chest. "Get moving," he ordered. "I'll hold them here." He turned and strode towards the tent's entrance. The pair of guards followed him out into the camp, silent as Brock shouted orders over the commotion sprouting throughout the camp.

"Ash," Gary started. "Ensure that Sketchit and Sir Ritchie know they are to assist Brock." He frowned, reluctant to part with his men so soon after finding them. "His orders are to be followed as if they were my own."

Ash nodded, dashing out of the tent to find Viridian's few remaining soldiers and relay Gary's orders.

Gary turned to the medium, studying him quickly. "You have held up your end of the bargain admirably," he said. "I do not think that you hold any loyalty to Fuji, else you would have already tried to escape or kill me." He wrung his hands nervously, hoping that the medium would prove himself as an ally. "It is in my authority to grant you freedom," he said plainly. "If that is what you desire."

The medium stood in silence, still looking at the map of Kanto. His soft brown eyes lingered on Lavender City for a moment before they rose to meet Gary's. "It is not what I desire," he said proudly. His eyes sunk back to the map as he continued speaking. "I desire the death of someone who has caused me great pain."

"Fuji," Gary replied. "You want him dead."

The medium nodded. "He stands as the last bastion of the Ghost Queen's army. He commands legions of wraiths and will no doubt unleash them on Kanto while you are facing Lance." He crossed his arms. "He must be removed from power if you plan to survive."

Sabrina smirked at the medium. "And I assume you'd take his place?" She asked. "Are we to assume that you do not want his power for your own?" She stares at him, eyes staying blue as she refrained from reading his mind.

"I am no Lord," he replied. "Just a man who wants justice for too many families to count." He looked at Gary, eyes betraying the hurt he felt. "Fuji needs to be stopped," he said quietly.

Gary stepped towards the medium, his face a mask of determination. "Pledge yourself to me, and I vow that he will pay for his crimes."

The medium stepped back. "I can't," he answered quickly. "I am still bound to Fuji, and a medium's oath is nigh unbreakable." He lowered his head. "I will not serve him any longer though. You have my word that I am not loyal to that man."

Gary stood in silence, mind working through the medium's words. He slowly nodded and smiled. "I believe you," he said. "Find Ash. Tell him that you will be joining us and he is to outfit you with whatever equipment you require."

The medium smiled and bowed his head. "Thank you, Lord Oak." He looked up at Gary with relief plainly worn on his face. "You will not regret this," he said. The medium turned and exited the tent, leaving Gary and Sabrina alone.

"I must say," Sabrina started. "For someone who's mind is as conflicted as yours, you do not betray it." She smiled and turned to exit the tent. "You are exceptionally composed for someone under as much pressure as you."

Gary followed her out of the tent, shielding his eyes from the sun. "You think so?" Gary asked. "I haven't the slightest clue what I should be doing."

She laughed and smiled at Gary. "Even the best of us rarely know what we are supposed to be doing." She turned to face him as her guards approached from the ranks of tents. "The future is always changing," she said cryptically. "Even I cannot foresee all possible futures. One thing is for certain though." She stepped back "You are your father's son." She turned and disappeared into the tents with her guards flanking her.

Gary smiled, despite the circumstances. He looked up at the sky, spotting the slowly growing shadow of his fearow approaching. He smiled, believing for the first time that he was worthy to lead as his father once had. He closed his eyes, content to listen as the camp prepared for war around him.


	4. Heir to the Water

_So begins the first major arc in this story. Hopefully it's properly "epic"_

* * *

The clouds parted lazily, slowly revealing the sun that hung low in the sky. The amber glow of the evening sun baked the western slopes of Mount Moon, staving off some of the icy cold wind with its warmth.

Reality cracked and tore open, torn apart by psychic power. Sabrina materialized with a loud crack, Gary and Ash hanging off her arms. She doubled over, panting heavily as Ash and Gary let go of her and surveyed the small alcove they had appeared in. She looked up, psychic energy fading from her eyes. "That's as far as I can go," she said between breaths. "Any more and I might pass out in transit."

"Would that be bad?" Ash asked.

She looked at him incredulously. "You would be torn apart by your very essence. You would exist in two places and nowhere at the same time." She shook her head. "Reality would reject your existence as unnatural."

Ash paused, giving her a horrified look. "That sounds bad," he said. "Would it kill me?" he asked.

She grinned at him with an devilish look in her eyes. "It would erase you from existence,"she said, clearly enjoying antagonizing Ash. "There would be no material trace of you. Only memories would be left."

"We can camp here," Gary said, changing the topic. "It'll do until morning." He looked around at the small alcove, warily eying the cave entrance that sat at the deepest part of their shelter. Satisfied that there were no immediate threats, he removed his pack and dropped it unceremoniously against the cliff wall. "Any idea where he went?" Gary asked, looking at Sabrina.

She closed her eyes, casting her mind outwards. She raced past miles of impassible mountain terrain in seconds, looking for the distinct presence of the medium's mind. She opened her eyes, revealing the psychic power that shone out of them. "I can't see him," she said quietly. "He must be scouting the other side of the mountain."

"Or he's just waiting to see when you notice him." The medium stepped out of the shadows on one of the sides of the pass. "Shadow travel is so much quicker than teleportation," he said as he sat down beside Gary. "And as a plus, it seems to make me invisible to psychics."

Sabrina rolled her eyes at him. "It also drives the user mad after prolonged use," she sat down and crossed her legs. "You might have already passed that point."

He put his hand over his heart, feigning injury. "You wound me," he said with a smile. He turned to look at Gary, the smile fading from his face. "I didn't manage to find Misty," he reported. "But I did find some human tracks on the east slopes." He shrugged and pulled a stale loaf of bread out of his pack. "Could be her, but there's no way to know."

"I took Pidgeot up as high as he could carry me," Ash interjected as he unrolled his bedroll. "We didn't even reach halfway to the peak before the air got too cold to breathe." He looked up at the seemingly impassable mountain and sighed. "There's no way she went over Mount Moon. All the passes Brock mentioned are snowed in."

Gary nodded. "So she went through the tunnels under the mountain." He dug into his pack, pulling out the satchel of poke balls hidden within. "We should rest for the night then," he said. "It might be the last time we get to rest until we get to Cerulean." He released a pair of pokemon from their balls, looking up as his blastoise stretched into the crisp night air.

His fearow stretched her wings, taking flight and quickly rising above the small alcove they had taken shelter in. Ash's pidgeot followed her, roosting on the cliffside with the larger bird.

Ash's primeape and Vekta appeared, glowering in their trainers' general direction. The group's two most rebellious pokemon slunk off with orders to return by nightfall, determined to explore what they could before their masters returned them to their balls. The two birds took off, following the pokemon from the sky in case they got any ideas of freedom.

The haunter rose out of the medium's shadow, sticking its tongue out at Sabrina. It tore off into the dusk, diving into the shadows cast by the setting sun and cackling murderously. The medium sat back, chewing on the stale bread silently. He looked over at Sabrina and smiled apologetically.

Sabrina huffed at the medium, choosing to ignore the haunter's taunting. She turned away, releasing her alakazam beside her. The two of them sat beside each other silently, eyes closed in concentration. The pair reverberated with psychic power, beginning their meditation.

Gary pulled another pair of balls from his bag as Ash began building a campfire, releasing Arcfire and smiling when the massive dog barked happily. He held up his arm as the arcanine nuzzled into his chest happily. "Glad to see you too, boy." He detached himself from Arcfire, ordering him to sit as he released his father's last pokemon.

Armoured purple plates formed out of the pokeball's corona of light. The beast within reared back, letting a roar of anger loose upon the sight of its new trainer. It lowered its head, glaring at Gary who stared back implacably. With a snort, it lowered its head, intent on impaling Gary with the horn on its head. Arcfire's commanding bark boomed out from the small alcove, deafening the nidoking before it could gore its trainer.

"That is enough, Arcfire." Gary patted his shaggy dog on the shoulder, happy to have help from the arcanine. He looked at the nidoking without fear, stepping up towards the beast even as it huffed angrily at him. "You will not gain your freedom by killing me," he said calmly. "You will submit to me, as you did my father." He looked directly into the nidoking's eyes, not daring to blink for fear of provoking the creature into thinking him weak. "Or you will be confined to this ball until you can behave."

The nidoking shrunk back, snorting a hot breath that reeked of sickness in Gary's direction. It turned its back and curled into a comfortable position away from the fire Ash had been building. It lazily closed its eyes, content to sleep instead of murdering the humans that dared to command it.

Gary looked down at the last ball in his hands frowning. He rolled it over, studying the markings scratched into the ball and wracking his brain for any memory of it.

"No clue what it could be?" Ash asked, looking up from the fire.

"Not really," Gary said. "It might be one of gramps' pokemon though." He shrugged. "Even if it is, I'm not going to chance it. We don't open this ball unless we are damn sure that we can handle what's inside."

Ash nodded. "Better get to training then." He turned away from Gary, tossing a ball into the air. It erupted in a flash of light, forming into a red lizard that stood just shorter than Ash. It flared its nostrils, puffing out streams of smoke as it glared at the medium. "Charmeleon," Ash said, drawing the young dragon's attention. "Enough," he ordered. The charmeleon loosed a jet of flames at him in retaliation.

Ash jumped back, avoiding his pokemon's outburst. His pikachu leapt into action, delivering a powerful shock to the fire drake's side. The charmeleon snapped its jaws in Pikachu's direction but made no further aggressive moves. "This is why you don't get to help us fight," Ash said, berating his dragon for its bad behaviour. He pointed at the cave. "In there, we will need you to help us fight." He crossed his arms, giving his charmeleon an unimpressed look. "Unless of course, you aren't strong enough to help us."

The charmeleon's reaction was immediate. It growled at Ash before looking angrily into the cave. "That's right," Ash said. "I guess I'll just leave you in your ball until we've reached the safety of Cerulean." He shrugged, turning away from his charmeleon and giving Gary a wink. "Oh well," he said over his shoulder. "You just aren't strong enough," he said with a slight grin.

The charmeleon roared angrily and spat a jet of flames at the wall of the alcove. He sustained the flames until the wall sagged, the rock beginning to liquify under the intense heat.

Ash pulled a strip of tauros jerky from his pack and tossed it at his charmeleon. The dragon snapped at the jerky hungrily, looking at Ash expectantly. "There's nothing out here to hunt tonight," Ash said to the fire drake. He pointed at the cave with a grin. "But when we go in there tomorrow, you can eat anything that you kill." The charmeleon looked back at the cave hungrily and then back at Ash. With a snort, it blew a puff of acrid black smoke at Ash and stomped away. It laid under the patch of molten stone, still glaring into the cave as Ash turned his attention to his other pokemon.

Gary sat next to the fire, prodding it with the stick Ash had found. One of the logs slipped off the pile, landing with a crack beside the fire. He felt Arcfire sit behind him and smiled at the familiar warm glow his pokemon created. "So," he said, breaking the silence around the fire. "I must say, I'm not familiar with a medium's abilities." He motioned to Sabrina as the medium looked up from his bread. "I know that psychic powers involve bending the laws of reality to your will, but I was wondering how yours work."

The medium swallowed the chunk of bread he had been chewing on, a thoughtful look on his face. "Well," he started. "There is a reason why you don't know much about us." He lowered the load of bread and shrugged. "We tend not to share much about ourselves with outsiders. It's been taboo to share our secrets for as long as I can remember." He smirked. "Wouldn't be secrets if we shared them with everyone."

Gary raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm asking because you were targeted by a ghost in the middle of what should have been the most secure place in Kanto. I want to know how to handle a ghost if we come across another."

The medium frowned at him, deep in thought. "I can answer that at least." He whistled once, summoning his haunter back to him. "This is Aria," he said. "She was a florist in Celadon before she died."

"So ghosts are actually spirits of the dead?" Gary asked.

The medium nodded. "In a way." He looked up at Aria who looked at Gary with her perpetual smile. "They are the souls of those who for whatever reason are trapped here." He looked back down at Gary mournfully. "They were rejected by the next state of existence, so they strive to make themselves worthy enough to pass on."

"How do they make themselves worthy?" Gary asked. "That sounds so vague. How are the ghosts supposed to know what they need to do?"

The medium shrugged. "Truthfully, I don't know. It's different for every ghost." He smiled at the ghost that happily bobbed over his head. "It's different for every ghost. As a medium, it's part of my duties to help spirits pass on."

Gary nodded, studying the haunter intently. "If we do find ourselves battling ghosts, what should we do?" He asked. "I've noticed that my blade doesn't do much."

The medium smirked. "And it wouldn't. A ghost tends to be incorporeal. Most physical attacks won't have much effect, if any at all." He held up a hand, a ball of shadows swirling in his palm. "I should start over," he said. "Ghosts disrupt the laws of our reality just by existing." He motioned to Sabrina. "Psychics rely on these laws existing in order to bend them. That's why ghosts are so effective against psychics."

"But powerful psychics can overcome that weakness," Sabrina said, watching the medium carefully. "However, the only true way to permanently banish a ghost is through the use of dark energy."

Gary frowned. "And how do we use that?" He asked.

"Well," the medium started. "Before our encounter, I traveled with my houndoom at all times." He folded his arms, glaring daggers at Arcfire. "He was one of the few pokemon around here that can naturally control dark energy." He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, trying to calm himself. "Unfortunately, he isn't around anymore," he said with an expressionless look on his face.

Gary winced at the mention of the giant hellhound. "For what its worth, I am sorry for your loss."

The medium's eyes shot open, looking at Gary with utter contempt. He blinked, and the expressionless look returned to his face. "It is unavoidable," he said calmly. "As a medium, I am intimately familiar with death." He blinked back the tears that threatened to show themselves and looked back up at Gary. "I will not hold it against you," he said. "You defended yourself, as was your right."

"Regardless," Sabrina said. "That gengar will not reform until after we arrive at Cerulean." She looked at the medium. "Would Fuji send more than one ghost after you?" She asked.

He shook his head. "He's stretched too thin. Too many mediums were killed in this war," he said. "He was trying to plug the holes created by their deaths with ghosts. If that gengar reforms, it's likely headed back to Lavender to reenforce Fuji's hold on the city."

She smirked. "Good," she said with a smug smile. "Fuji knows that moving against us is folly."

He looked back at her, frowning. "He is not to be trifled with," he said. "Lord Fuji did not gain his throne through kind actions and succession." He crossed his arms. "He was the strongest of us, the most ruthless and calculating person in Lavender."

"So we must move against him eventually?" Gary asked. "He sounds as if he could be a powerful ally against Lance."

The medium shook his head. "No. He must be removed from power." He frowned. "Lord Fuji will not hesitate to turn on you the moment Lance has been defeated. He will stab you in the back before Lance's corpse has cooled." He chuckled and shook his head. "It was not Agatha conducting the war," he said. ""She was merely a figurehead that Fuji used to split your armies. Would you forget that Fuji waged war across Kanto for the past five years?"

Sabrina shook her head with a smile. "So who would take Lavender's throne?" She asked. "You?"

The medium was silent for a moment. He sighed and closed his eyes. "I have no ambitions of power," he said. "Someone will rise to take Fuji's place if he is killed." He shrugged. "It is up to you to ensure their loyalty."

Gary nodded. "I understand," he said. He looked up at the setting sun, slowly watching in silence as it dipped below the horizon. The sky darkened until the only light came from the campfire. He turned his head, finding Ash asleep in his bedroll. He looked back at Sabrina and the medium.

"I'll take first watch," said the medium. He motioned to Sabrina and Ash. "Let them sleep," he said. "Mew knows that we'll need it under the mountain." He looked at Gary, who stayed silent. "Get some sleep yourself, M'Lord. I'll wake you if anything happens."

Gary nodded his thanks, realizing how tired he was. He closed his eyes, drifting off against the warm fur of his arcanine.

* * *

Three days in the pitch black tunnels under a mountain will do things to your mind. Ash turned towards the skittering movement at the edge of the light. His charmeleon turned, obscuring the fleeing creature with the shadows cast by its body. A rush of wind whistled by Ash and dove into the shadow gleefully. Aria emerged from the shadows, a mangled zubat hanging from her claws. She tossed the zubat towards Ash's Charmeleon. The fire drake caught the zubat effortlessly in its jaws, devouring the pest in moments.

Ash turned back to the group, holding a spare torch. "Which path is it?" He asked. "I'm starting to see things down here."

Sabrina was on one knee, eyes shut as she explored the tunnel branching to the left. She opened her eyes, brilliant light shining out of her eyes. "The left path leads further into the mountain. It is not our way out." She shifted slightly, turning towards the right path. Her eyes shot open before even a minute had passed. "There are humans on the right path," she said. "Three men and a woman." She closed her eyes again, deep in concentration. "I cannot say if it is Lady Kasumi's heiress," she said as she relaxed her concentration. "They are too far away for me to properly read them."

Gary stood at her shoulder, torch held high to illuminate the forking path. "Can you teleport us there?" He asked.

She shook her head. "No," she said. "There is far too much rock in between us to teleport safely."

He looked at the medium. "Scout it out," he ordered. "Report back to me as soon as you can get visual contact."

The medium nodded. His haunter dove into the shadows in front of him. He stepped into the shadows as disappeared, melting into the darkness before their eyes.

"You know," Ash said. "That gets more creepy every time he does it."

Gary nodded and chuckled. "You have to admit though, it's damn useful." He looked up at the medium as he stepped out of the shadows. Darkness streamed off him, merging with the shadows cast by the group's torches.

"The woman is in trouble," he said with a grim look. "She has her pokemon out, but they look to be overwhelmed."

Gary nodded. "Does this tunnel branch at all?" He asked.

The medium shook his head. "No, it leads directly to them," he said. "They're probably about ten to fifteen minutes away though."

"Get back there and help her," Gary ordered. "Keep her alive until we can get there."

The medium nodded, cloaking himself with the darkness again. He drew his blade silently and melted into the shadows.

"Let's go," Gary ordered. "Whoever those men are, we need to stop them. Misty is far too valuable to lose." He jogged down the tunnel, Ash and Sabrina close behind. The sounds of battle grew as they ran down the tunnel, only stopped by a startled parasect that Ash and his charmeleon dealt with easily.

They stepped into the small cavern, surveying the damage caused by the underground battle. Scorch marks lined the walls, and the temperature rose to a sweltering degree as they stepped into the cavern. The medium was trading blows with one of the men, trying to inch closer to the man still directing the pokemon against the woman. The last man lay in a puddle of blood on the cave floor, clutching at his throat.

The woman stood behind her purple starfish, sweat streaming down her features. She wiped sweat from her face, pushing her messy red hair away from her face. A smile of relief crossed her face as she saw the group step into the cavern. A pair of smaller brown starfish lay motionless at her feet, their central crystals dark and faded.

She stepped out from behind her remaining pokemon, shouting an order as she pointed at the pair of Pokémon facing her. "Starmie, use double edge!"

Her starfish rocketed forwards, slamming into the massive muscled beast that protected her opponent. The machoke grabbed the starmie as it attempted to retreat. The starmie let out a loud whine as the machoke ripped a pair of the starfish's legs off. It spiraled away from the machoke, blood spilling from the pair of stumps as they desperately attempted to regenerate. A loud crack split the air, and a flare of light slammed into the machoke. It hit the cavern wall with a crunch and lay motionless on the stone floor.

Ash and Gary surged into the room, followed closely by Sabrina. A bolt of lightning erupted from the little mouse stowed on Ash's shoulder, dropping the man engaged with the medium in a twitching heap. Ash's pikachu leapt off his shoulder, growling at the last man and sparking angrily.

"Surrender," Gary ordered. "You're outnumbered and have far more to gain by cooperating with us."

The man wasted no time, releasing a pair of pokemon from the balls on his belt. Ash's pikachu erupted with electricity, the bolt drawn harmlessly to the massive armoured beast that charged the pair of them.

"Ryhorn!" Ash shouted. He dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the charging pokemon. His charmeleon dove a fraction of a second later, too late to avoid being thrown into one of the cavern walls by the angry ryhorn. A purple snake, launched from behind the ryhorn, burying its fangs into the downed charmeleon's side. Charmeleon roared in pain, clawing at the arbok and forcing it to retreat with a fiery breath. Ash stepped behind his pokemon, putting the panting charmeleon between him and the arbok.

The ryhorn slammed into the cavern wall, lodging its horn in the rock. Gary pulled a ball from his satchel and released his blastoise. The turtle roared, shaking the cavern with its deep rumble. It lowered its cannons and levelled them at the ryhorn as it freed itself from the wall. Twin blasts of highly pressurized water slammed into the ryhorn's side. It slammed back into the wall, driven into the rock by the force of the water. It weakly attempted to rise but Gary's blastoise let another blast of water loose, tearing deep rents down the side of the beast's rocky armour. Gary's blastoise roared as the water drained down the path that they had come, leaving the ryhorn a bloody mess against the cavern wall.

"Starmie!" shouted Misty. "Recover," she ordered.

Her purple starfish floated back to her side, legs regrowing from the stumps the machamp had left. It let out a high pitched whine, central jewel shining brightly in the dark of the cave.

All movement ceased as the remaining attacker regarded the newcomers with caution. He smiled, his face mostly obscure in the cave's darkness. "Well," he said, his voice high and melodic. "I believe that you have me at a disadvantage," he said with a knowing smile.

Gary frowned as he stepped forwards. "You refused my offer of cooperation," he said coldly. "Why should I care to know who you are?"

"Because My Lord has a vested interest in keeping you alive," he said. "It would be most shameful if I were to interfere with his little pet project." He lifted a ball, releasing the pokemon within. The humanoid shape formed in front of him, smiling happily at Gary in a mockery of a human grin. "Now," he said. "I believe that my presence here has run its course." He flipped his hair out of his face, flashing a glint of purple at the group.

"You're damn right," Ash growled. He stepped forwards, placing a hand on Gary's shoulder. "Don't listen to him," he said. "If he was trying to kill Misty, then we can't trust him."

Gary nodded, eyes never leaving the man's face. "What are you expecting?" He asked.

The man smiled knowingly. "Nothing at all." In one swift movement, he covered his eyes, dropping to one knee. The Mr. Mime he had released erupted with blinding light, forcing the group to shield their eyes. The man disappeared with a pop, the mime teleporting the pair of them away to safety.

Gary opened his eyes, still blinded from the sudden flash. He dropped to one knee, pulling his shield up in front of him. All was silent for a moment, before Gary's vision slowly started to return to normal. "Everyone alright?" He asked as he returned his shield to his back.

Ash knelt over his charmeleon's prone form, digging through his pack. "Antivenom?" He shouted, looking around desperately. He stood up when nobody answered him, returning his charmeleon to its ball with an angry huff.

"Ash," Gary started. "He'll be-"

Ash stormed past him, eyes locked on Misty. "You," he said angrily. "You're Misty?" he asked.

She nodded, raising an eyebrow quizzically. "Yes, and I am grateful for your assistance." She crossed her arms as her starmie floated in front of her. "I can help your charmeleon when we arrive at Cerulean."

He nodded, shrinking back from the menacing starmie. "Thank you," he said meekly, not expecting so quick an answer.

Gary placed his hand on Ash's shoulder. "It's ok Ash," he said. "Charmeleon will be fine." He motioned to his blastoise, who barely fit in the cavern. "Check on blastoise for me," he said as he handed Ash his turtle's ball.

"So," Misty said as Ash walked away. "I assume that you're Lord Oak's son?"

Gary nodded. "Kasumi's heir?" He asked in return. She nodded, wearing a grim smile. Gary sighed and frowned. "I guess that we've got a few things in common," he said as he attempted a smile.

She didn't bother to return the smile. "What can I help you with, Lord Oak?" She asked with an icy glare. "I thank you for your party's assistance, but unfortunately I am in no position to repay it." She stepped out from behind her starmie, still keeping one hand on the starfish's central jewel. "My mother lies dead on the field of a battle that your father persuaded her to lead," she said with contempt. "Why should I trust you to begin with?" She asked.

"My apologies if I seem presumptuous," Gary said. "But you are in the perfect position to repay us." He crossed his arms, studying her. "As well as reap vengeance for your mother's untimely death."

She mirrored him, crossing her own arms and looking at him with a distrustful gaze. "How so?" she asked.

"Well," Gary started. "You are heir to Cerulean's throne," he said. "Lance intends to leave Kanto a smoking ruin of its former self." He frowned, thinking back to the glow of Viridian's fires on the horizon. "I'm sure that you don't intend to see Cerulean suffer the same fate that Viridian has."

"What fate would that be?" She asked, narrowing her eyes. "Surely you don't mean to threaten-"

"Not threaten," Sabrina said, interrupting Misty. "Warn. There is a large difference." She moves to beside Gary, standing inches away from him. "I have seen proof myself," she said. "Kanto was betrayed. Lance and his dragons have been unleashed upon us." She crossed her arms. "We must stand together to survive this."

Misty smirked. "I should've known that you'd somehow be involved in this madness," she said. She turned away, starting down the tunnel alone.

Sabrina's eyes flared with power and she smiled. "She bluffs," Sabrina said. "She does not hold the throne." Sabrina smiled and cocked her head to the side. "She intends to take it by force."

Misty froze in her tracks. She slowly turned to face them, eyes glaring daggers at Sabrina. "I knew there was a reason I disliked you, Natsume." She sighed and rolled her eyes. "You are correct. My sisters have always coveted my throne. Cerulean's succession process is long and arduous. No doubt they have already arranged their forces against my return and have prepared for my arrival since word of our loss at Indigo reached the city."

"Did your mother not choose you as her heir?" Gary asked. "What claim do they have to deny you?"

She frowned. "Succession in Cerulean is different," she said. "My mother chose me as her heir, but that does not grant me the throne." She crossed her arms, looking back at the pair of staryu that lay motionless on the ground. "I must prove myself the strongest of my sisters to gain the throne."

Gary nodded. "You need our help," Gary said. "You want us to stand with you against your sisters."

She nodded. "I can give you Cerulean's strength," she said. "But I need to be on the throne for that." She sighed and patted her starmie absentmindedly. "If you aid me in Cerulean, I will aid you against Lance."

Gary raised an eyebrow. "What do you need?" He asked hesitantly.

A wicked grin spread across Misty's face. "Overwhelming force," she said calmly. "And a distraction."

* * *

 _Our first Misty sighting! She's a little different than in canon, as are all my characters. However, I think she's a much deeper character than the one we know. Hopefully you all enjoy her. She may or may not be playing a large role in this story ;)_


	5. Blood on the Mountain

_Yikes, this one ended up much longer than intended. But it brings us closer to Cerulean, and to the conclusion of this story arc. Onwards, to the story!_

* * *

Gary's eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the darkness of the tunnel. He groaned and pushed himself up into a sitting position. He blinked slowly, trying to clear his head as the world slowly came into focus. A bolt of lightning ripped across the tunnel, painting a mess of shadows across the tunnel wall. Gary felt for his belt, relief filling his mind as he found the poke balls strapped to the belt. He pushed himself up onto one knee, looking around warily.

A pressurized blast of water slammed into his side, knocking him to the cave floor. He groaned in pain as the golduck that had attacked him approached. Gary rolled to his feet, bringing up a poke ball as he did so. His scyther appeared between him and the golduck, buzzing loudly. It rocketed towards the duck, swinging its bladed arms viciously. Gary shrunk back as a spray of hot blood splattered across his face. The golduck fell to the floor, disembowelled by Vekta's viscous opening attack. It gasped for breath and shuddered before laying still.

"Gary!" Shouted Ash, noticing his distress. He jumped back, out of the reach of his hooded attacker. The man charged in, tackling Ash and sending his sword skittering across the tunnel floor. Ash grabbed hold of the man's arm, keeping his blade pinned to the floor as the man fought to gut Ash with it.

His pikachu erupted with energy again, leaping away from its battle with an angry creature covered in wicked looking spikes. It shrugged off the bolt of lightning effortlessly and advanced, swinging a set of razor sharp claws at the little mouse. A tan blur slammed into the spiky beast, knocking it away from Ash and his pikachu and sending it rolling across the cave floor. The sandslash turned, throwing up its arms and taking a series of devastating blows from the primeape's meaty fists.

Gary clambered to his feet, attempting to steady himself on the cave wall. Vekta buzzed in front of him, hovering protectively in front of her trainer. "Go," he ordered as he drew his blade. "Help Ash." He blinked, trying to clear the pounding headache that wracked his brain.

Vekta tore off, stopping only to remove the sword arm of Sabrina's opponent. She took advantage of the opening, driving her short sword through the man's throat and forcing him to the ground. He gurgled blood, clutching at his throat as he fell. She tore her blade free, eyes searching the battlefield methodically. She found Gary slumped against the wall and dashed over to him. Her alakazam appeared at her side, watching the battle observantly.

"Go," Gary said wearily. "Help them."

She shook her head. "This battle is won," she said calmly. "Your condition is of far greater concern than a few mercenaries."

He looked up at her and swayed on his feet. She caught his arm, helping him steady himself against the wall. "What happened?" He asked. He felt the side of his head, recoiling when his hand found the hot, sticky layer of blood that ran down the side of his face.

Sabrina turned his head and winced audibly. "What do you remember?" She asked as she peeled Gary's hair out of the blood.

"I remember walking," he replied numbly. "Then…" he trailed off and pointed at the mangled golduck corpse. "What happened?" He asked again, with urgency in his voice.

"Ambush," Sabrina replied. She looked up at the battle and grinned wickedly. "Stay here," she ordered. "I'll get us some answers." She stepped away from him and disappeared with a slight pop.

Only a single attacker remained. He stood with his back to the tunnel wall, his sandslash crawled towards him weakly, beaten soundly by Primeape's crushing blows. He held his blade high as his sandslash's pained breaths slowed and ceased entirely. Primeape slammed his fist into the back of the sandslash's head, stopping its struggles for good.

Sabrina appeared behind him, dagger raised in her hand. She pressed it to his throat, wrapping one of her slender arms around the man's neck. "Drop it," she growled.

The man let his sword clatter to the ground. He slowly dropped to his knees, Sabrina's blade pressed into his larynx menacingly.

"Good," she said. Misty and the medium stood in front of them, Aria and Misty's starmie floating at their sides. Sabrina slowly pulled her dagger away and walked around the man. "Who are you?" she asked.

The man remained silent, glaring at her with cold eyes. He cocked his head to the side and spat a glob of blood before looking up at her. "I'm already dead," he spat. "I'll never talk."

She shook her head. "Wrong answer," she sneered. She crossed the distance between them with two quick steps. She slammed her palm into the man's forehead and closed her eyes. She stepped back a moment later, blinking quickly as her eyes readjusted to the darkness of the cave.

The man toppled backwards, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. He lay there limply, his chest slowly rising and falling the only indication he was alive.

"Mercenaries," Sabrina spat. She rounded on Misty, fists clenched. "Hired to kill you before you got home."

Misty frowned. "So they were assassins," she said slowly. She ignored Sabrina's outraged anger and turned back towards the man. "Who hired them?" She asked solemnly.

Sabrina shook her head. "Does it really matter which of your sisters want you dead?" She asked.

"I guess not," replied Misty. She frowned, glaring down at the man. "What did you do to him?" she asked. She nudged him with her foot, not even disturbing the man. "It's like he's dead, but he's still breathing."

Sabrina smiled at her savagely. "I tore the information from his mind," she said. "He resisted." She turned away from them, striding back towards Gary.

Misty shuddered at the cold reminder of how powerful Sabrina could be. "You're a monster," she said.

Sabrina stopped and turned to look at her. "We are all monsters," she said coldly. "Some of us just embrace it better than others." She spun on her heels and stormed away from Misty, a sour look on her face.

The medium turned to follow her, smiling weakly at Misty. Aria floated after him, diving into the shadows cast by her trainer and peering out of them at Misty.

Misty stood there, her starmie floating silently beside her. She frowned, looking down at the man. He twitched suddenly, eyes still blankly staring at the tunnel ceiling. She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat and closed her eyes. "Sapphire," she started, her voice wavering. "End it."

* * *

Ash poked at the fire tentatively, his free hand absentmindedly scratching behind Pikachu's ears. He looked out the mouth of the cave and sighed, watching the snow fall in blankets. The faint sounds of snoring reached his ears, telling him that Gary had finally fallen asleep. "So how far is Cerulean?" He asked, glancing over at Misty.

She stirred, looking up from the fire for the first time in what felt like hours. "Still a few days," she said. "We've still got to go back underground to reach the foothills."

Ash looked out at the snow again, barely able to see more than a dozen feet in the blizzard. He sighed and leaned in towards the fire, still shivering. "It's cold up here," he said.

Misty smirked. "We are on top of a mountain," she said. "What did you expect?"

He shrugged. "No clue," he replied. "I've never been east of Pewter." He looked back out the cave mouth wistfully. "It's beautiful," he said.

"Nature tends to be," Misty said. She sidled over to him, looking out into the storm with him. "It's beautiful in a ferocious, kill you in a second kind of way," she said.

They sat in silence, the only noise Pikachu's satisfies coos. Ash looked over at her and frowned. "Misty," he started. "What happened between you and your sisters?"

She stiffened and Ash heard her draw in a short breath. "I'm not talking about that," she said quickly. "It's something better left in the past."

Ash shifted in the uncomfortable silence. "If we're going to Cerulean, then we're likely going to come up against them at some point." He frowned and turned his head to look at her. "Look," he started. "I'm not one for politics. I don't pretend to follow the court intrigue that the Lords and Ladies navigate through. I'm just the son of a peasant." He stood up and walked towards the cave mouth. He turned to face her, still frowning. "I just don't understand why you want the throne of Cerulean if it means killing your sisters."

She frowned at that. "I never said I wanted to kill them," she said. "If they want to join us, then that's fine by me. They're all talented trainers in their own right." She stood up, stretching her legs.

"But what if they won't just join us?" Ash asked. "From what we heard, the four of you don't exactly get along."

She nodded, joining him at the cave mouth. "That much is true," she said. She sighed and shrugged. "My mother favoured me. She always told me that I was the most like her, that I was the strongest." She shook her head. "I couldn't help it that they were jealous. Just like I couldn't help that my mother raised me to be her successor."

"You never answered my question," Ash said. "What happens if they won't accept you as the Lady of Cerulean?"

She shrugged. "Then we take action," she said curtly. "I did not watch my mother die just to let somebody else sit on her throne." She turned away from Ash. "They didn't know her like I did. They only saw the taskmaster exterior. They only saw her hard side." She wavered, breathing heavily. "They didn't see the woman under that façade, the one being crushed by responsibility and her duty to the city."

"I get it," Ash said. "I just don't want you to do something rash." He put one hand on her shoulder. "You don't need to kill them," he said. "They're your family."

She smiled softly, finally turning to look at him. "Families in Kanto tend to be bloody affairs," she said. "Cerulean's history in particular is full of sisters turning on each other for the throne. Both of my mother's sisters attacked her on the eve of her coronation."

"What happened?" Ash asked.

Misty frowned. "My mother won," she said bluntly. "They paid with their lives for their treason." She stepped away from Ash, warming her hands at the fire. "I think that's why she acted the way she did," she said. "She would pit us against each other, and force us to fight until one of us yielded." She shook her head. "And being who I am, I could never give anything less than my all." She stopped and hung her head. "I think my sisters resented me for it, because it made me the star in my mother's eye." She went silent, looking down at the fire blankly.

"They shouldn't fault you for it though," Ash said. "They didn't know what was really going on."

"And who's fault is that?" Misty asked. "I relished the attention. I never let them forget who was mother's favourite." She shook her head, trying not to cry. "And I made sure that they knew they could never best me."

"Misty," Ash started. "It wasn't your-"

"My oldest sister had a milotic," she said, interrupting Ash. "It was a gift from my mother before I was born." She stared into the flames, not daring to meet Ash's eyes. "She gave her a feebas and told her that if she raised it properly, it'd be the most beautiful companion that a woman could want."

Ash frowned. "What happened to it?" Ash asked.

Misty held up a ball, looking at the little red sphere mournfully. "My mother gave me a magikarp when I was young," she said, pointedly ignoring Ash's question. "It was massive," she continued. "Bigger even than my mother's seaking."

"It isn't a magikarp anymore, is it?" Ash asked hesitantly.

Misty shook her head. "No," she replied proudly. "He's the largest gyarados that my mother had ever seen." Her smile faded, thinking back to her childhood. "It was just supposed to be a training battle," she said. "But I didn't have control over him yet," she looked into the fire, a far-off look in her eyes. "He massacred the milotic," she said. "Ripped it to pieces in front of my whole family." She closed her eyes and shifted away from Ash. "And I berated my sister like it was her fault for sending it against my Typhon."

"Misty, it's not anyone's fault." Ash stood up, turning and looking down at Misty. "Gyarados are so rare for a reason," he said. "They aren't pets, or even partners. They're monsters." He looked down at the ball in her hand and smiled softly. "Does he obey you now?" He asked

She nodded slowly. "Look," she started. "I really don't want to talk about this anymore. I'm not innocent. I know what I've done." She turned away from him. "Tell me about your family," she said, looking blankly into the flames. "Please," she finished.

Ash looked back at Gary, still snoring in his bedroll. "I didn't really have any family back in Viridian," he said. "Just my mum, and she was always really distant after my dad died." He paused, voice wavering. "I don't even know if she's alive," he confessed. Tears started to flow down his face. "She was in Viridian when Lance attacked. I don't know if she even made it out," he said sadly.

"You ok?" Misty asked.

Ash shook his head. "No," he replied. "But I have to be. Gary is depending on me." He laughed and shook his head despite the tears. "Hell, half of Kanto depends on us rallying enough strength to drive Lance back." He looked out the mouth of the cave, his pikachu nuzzling up against his leg. "The only home that I've ever known is gone, and I can't even grieve over it. It's not fair." He looked down at his pikachu and smiled sadly. "None of this is," he said. "We're just kids, we shouldn't have half the responsibility that this god forsaken war has forced on us."

"Its just how the world is," she answered. "It's not fair, and there's nothing we can do about it."

Ash smiled. "I know," he said. "If only every problem could be solved with the power of friendship," he joked.

Misty smiled. "The world would be a lot different," she replied. "I'm glad that you still have someone left," she said. "It gets lonely with nobody to talk to."

He joined her at the fire, a smile returning to his face. "Gary and his dad were my family," he said. "They took me in when I had nobody left. Gary trained with me every day until I was old enough to join the Viridian Scout Legion." He shrugged. "We don't agree on much, but that's what family is." He shook his head. "He's my brother," he said. "And there's nothing that I wouldn't do for him."

"That's the way I felt about mother," she replied. "Family is complicated," she said solemnly.

Ash nodded. "I'll agree with that," he said with a smile.

A faint pop interrupted them. Sabrina appeared at the mouth of the cave, shivering from the cold. She brushed off the snow on her shoulders, approaching the fire. "I've found a path to the next tunnel, she said. "It should lead us straight through to the foothills."

"Good," Ash replied. "We can get moving at first light," he said. "The sooner we get down to Cerulean, the better."

"Yes," Sabrina said. She sat down beside the fire, inching closer to its warmth. "I require rest," she said. "The storm is growing stronger," she said. "I will need my strength if I am to guide us through it."

Ash nodded. "It's fine," he said. "I'll take watch." He looked at Misty and smiled. "You too," he said. "Get some rest. It'll do us no good if we get to Cerulean and you're too exhausted to move."

She nodded and unfurled her bedroll. Ash stood up and walked to the cave mouth. He smiled despite the raging blizzard, content to watch the snow fall in drifts around the mouth of the cave.

* * *

Gary woke slowly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The fire had long since burned down to cinders, leaving only a small warm glow coming from the remains of the fire. He stirred, rousing Arcfire from his sleep with the movement.

"You're up," said Ash. He tossed half a loaf of bread towards Gary. "Good, was just about to wake you."

Gary caught the bread and looked at Ash with bleary eyes. "Mornin," he mumbled. He unwrapped the loaf and tore off a chunk of the bread. "When can we get moving?" He asked, not fully awake yet.

Ash nodded towards the wall of snow that had accumulated at the mouth of the cave. A thin sliver of light shone through the still open hole at the top of the cave. "As soon as Arcfire can open us a hole," he said. "Sabrina said that she could guide us across the snow fields."

"We will need to stay close together," Sabrina said. She was knelt beside Gary, wrapping her arms and legs in spare pieces of cloth that she produced from her pack. "We won't be able to see much of anything out there, so stay within an arm's length of Arcfire." She tossed a bundle of wrappings to Gary, and then another to Ash. "If any extremities start to feel numb, then hold them against Arcfire for a few moments."

Gary stood up, stretching his legs and back loudly. He noted Misty and the medium standing at the cave mouth, already covered in the makeshift wrappings that Sabrina had provided. "How far is it to the next tunnel?" He asked as he began to wrap himself.

"Less than a mile," Sabrina replied. "However it is hard terrain, and the conditions will be worse than they were last night."

"I've made this trip before, with my mother," Misty said. "Be very aware," she said. "Ice pokemon are damn near impossible to spot if they don't feel like being seen, and they have a vindictive streak." She sheathed her blade and pocketed the whetstone. "I doubt that any ursaring are awake during this storm, but they're a possibility so just keep your eyes peeled."

"Remind me again why we can't just teleport across?" The medium said. "We'd be into that next tunnel within ten minutes."

"I can teleport us to where I was last night, but that's likely buried under ten feet of snow." She shook her head. "We'd be trapped under the snow, unable to see or breathe."

"Alright," said the medium. "A walk through a raging blizzard it is then." He hefted his pack over his shoulder and smiled as Aria dove from the shadows on the cave ceiling into his shadow.

Gary slung his pack over his shoulders and looked up at Arcfire. "Arcfire, make us a path."

His arcanine barked happily, the sound echoing down the tunnel they had come from. He bounded forward and planted his feet, drawing in a breath. A torrent of scarlet flames erupted from Arcfire's maw, licking at the wall of snow that blocked their way. Steam hissed into the air as the snow melted and then immediately evaporated.

Gary shrunk back from his pokemon as the temperature in the tunnel skyrocketed. Arcfire redoubled his efforts, the torrent of flames growing larger. The wall of snow crumbled, falling onwards towards Arcfire.

"Arcfire!" shouted Gary. His pokemon closed its jaws, cutting off the stream of fire at the source. "Good boy," Gary said, patting his arcanine with a padded arm.

"Alright," Sabrina said. She stepped towards the opening, looking back at the group. "Stay close," she ordered. She stepped out into the blizzard and lifted an arm to shield her eyes.

They filtered out after her, huddling within an arm's reach of Arcfire's impossibly warm fur. Pikachu huddled into a bundle of wrappings on Ash's chest, shivering against his trainer as they trudged through the blowing snow. They walked through the snow for what felt like hours, the heavy snow seeming to drag their legs down with every step.

Sabrina stopped abruptly, holding an arm up. The group ground to a halt behind her, snow and ice building up on their wrappings. "We aren't alone," she called over her shoulder. "Something big is coming."

Gary forced himself to push through the snow and stand at Sabrina's side. "Should we be worried?" He asked. "Any humans?"

Sabrina shook her head, her eyes tightly shut. "I don't think so," she said. "But it's almost as if the presence is being hidden."

"Could it be a ghost?" Gary asked. "You said they mess with your powers,"

She shook her head. "No, that would feel different." She opened her eyes and turned to look at Gary. "We are being watched, that much is certain."

Gary nodded. "I'll tell the others to stay on their guard." He turned and frowned, nearly losing the group as the snow whipped up harder. He found Arcfire's ruddy orange fur and took a step towards his pokemon.

A blur of movement in the snow drew his eyes. A patch of green shifted, moving with too much purpose to be a chunk of rock or ice. "Sabrina," he called. The patch of green disappeared in the blizzard and he frowned. "I think whatever's watching us is here," he said. "Right now."

She turned, eyes scanning the horizon. "I don't-"

The mountainside erupted with activity. A wall of snow shifted and the mountain rumbled with the movement.

"Avalanche!" Gary shouted, pointing up the slope at the oncoming wall of snow. He felt Sabrina's hand grab his arm, then the familiar blank sensation of teleportation. They reappeared in front of Arcfire, Sabrina's alakazam at her side. He turned to look at her, desperate that she would have some sort of solution. "Can you get us through this?" He asked.

"I don't know!" She shouted. She dropped to one knee, and closed her eyes. A shimmering barrier formed in front of the group, mere moments before the cascade of snow slammed into it.

Her alakazam shone with power at her side, his spoons held to the air. A second barrier formed above them as the avalanche rolled over Sabrina's barrier, plunging them into darkness.

"I can't hold it!" Sabrina shouted, exertion creeping into her voice. The barrier cracked, a spiderweb of lines spreading all across the barrier. "The barrie-"

With a loud crack, Sabrina's barrier broke. The avalanche rushed through the opening, stopped mere inches in front of Sabrina by her alakazam's barrier. She cradled her head in her hands, blood steadily leaking from her nose and dripping into the snow.

The snow suddenly cleared as the avalanche rumbled past the group. A lance of ice drove into the alakazam's shoulder, spraying a splatter of blood across the snow. A second beam of ice pierced its kneecap, knocking it to the snow.

"Ambush!" Gary shouted. His hand dropped to the satchel of balls hanging on his belt. He quickly released his blastoise, stepping behind the turtle as a beam of ice painted a frozen path along the blastoise's chest. He grabbed Sabrina and hauled her behind his blastoise, ignoring the woman's protests.

Arcfire growled angrily, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. A purple snake launched from under the snow, jaws wide and fangs dripping with poison. Arcfire barked in pain as the arbok's fangs sank into his shoulder, pumping poison into the dog's veins. Arcfire growled, trying desperately to reach the snake with his fiery jaws. Sapphire appeared in a flash of light, tearing the arbok off of Arcfire and throwing it back up the mountain with a flash of violet light.

Gary's hand dropped to his belt again, digging through the pouch of balls frantically. He raised another ball, releasing his father's nidoking as Ash released his primeape beside him. The nidoking stretched to its full height and roared a challenge into the blizzard. Arcfire limped over to them, sickly green liquid leaking from the puncture wounds on his shoulder.

The blizzard slowed, clearing enough for Gary to make out a pair of figures standing malevolently above them. "Well, James," said a woman's voice, the tone tinged with a cruel undertone. "What have we here?" She asked. "A little lordling pretending at adventure." She stepped towards them, slipping her fur hood off her head. She shook her hair out, allowing her blood red hair to fall past her shoulders. "I think he needs to be taught a lesson."

The man stepped forwards, slipping his own hood off and grinning at Gary knowingly. "I do believe that this is the second time he has stood in our way," he said. "Perhaps It is time to show why it is unwise to interfere in matters that he does not understand." He lifted an arm, holding up a clenched fist.

What Gary had taken to be a patch of snow-covered trees shifted and rumbled. The trees shook, rising into the air as the beast revealed itself. It shook and stretched up to its full height, shaking the snow off its back and glaring down at the group as it towered over them. Dark green fur ringed its hands and legs, with spikes of ice hanging off the snow-white fur that covered its body. It growled, a low sound that seemed to shake the snow under their feet.

"By the gods," Ash muttered. Pikachu sat on his shoulder, sparking defiantly at the massive ice monster. "What is that thing?"

"An abomasnow," answered Sabrina. She looked up at them, dried and frozen blood caking her face. "They're native to Sinnoh," she said. "It shouldn't be here." She shook her head. "I should've been able to sense it," she muttered. "It doesn't make any sense."

Ash looked up at the beast and frowned. "Well it's here," he said. "So how do we kill it?"

Gary looked up at the beast, still peeking out from behind his blastoise. "Hit it hard," he said. He looked at Misty and frowned. "Do you have anything that could help?" He asked.

She shook her head. "Not here," she replied. "We're too far from a water source for me to risk one of my team."

"I have a solution," James called. "Hand over Kasumi's heir and you are free to go." He smiled as if he was not threatening their lives, a calm look worn on his face. "Look at her objectively," he said. "She is shortsighted, stubborn, quick to anger-"

"I am not!" Shouted Misty. "Who hired you?" She yelled. "Daisy? Violet? Or was it Lily?" She shook her head. "They never could bring themselves to fight their own battles."

James shook his head and smirked. "I'm afraid that my liege is not concerned with your petty squabbles among siblings." He laughed, a high clear laugh that rang with a cruel tone. "Kanto's survival is our only concern my dear. You simply don't have the aptitude to lead us through this war."

"There's no place in the world for an entitled little shit like you," Jesse spat. "You don't even deserve to see that pathetic excuse for a city again." She drew her sword and dropped into a fighting stance. "So come, little princess. Die like the spoiled little brat that you are."

Misty shook with anger. She drew her blade and stepped out from behind Gary's blastoise. The turtle looked down at her and rumbled a warning. "I'll show you," she said angrily, glaring up at Jesse. "I'll show them all!"

Gary lunged for her arm, missing by inches as Misty charged up the hill towards Jesse and James. Her starmie shot after her, psychic power ushering it through the air. Gary's nidoking charged after her, eyes locked on the abomasnow as he lowered his horn.

"Arcfire," Gary shouted, pointing forwards. "Go!" His arcanine bolted after his nidoking, bounding over the beast's poisonous spikes and glowing with an internal fire.

The abomasnow roared happily at the challenge and rushed forward to meet Arcfire with an icy fist. It slammed into the arcanine, pummeling it into the snow easily. Arcfire whimpered in pain as the abomasnow rained blow after blow down on it, icy fists tearing open the dog's tough hide. Gary's nidoking rammed the abomasnow in the side, knocking it off balance as it went for a killing blow. Arcfire crawled away, a bloody stain left on the snow where he had been.

"Blastoise," Gary started. "Hydro pu-"

A black blur leapt from the snow, dashing towards them. Gary tore his sword from its scabbard, raising it just fast enough to knock the weavile's claws away. Ash's primeape tackled the weavile, knocking it away from Gary.

Gary stepped back, surveying the chaos in dismay. Misty had engaged the pair that had attacked them, engaging in a vicious duel with her starmie deflecting the blows that slipped through her guard. The abomasnow was loosing a torrent of snow and ice into Nidoking and Arcfire, keeping the two of them huddled together in a vain attempt to find cover. Ash and the medium stood back to back, weavile and sneasel diving from under the snow to attempt gutting them both before diving back into the snow.

Gary's hand dropped into the pouch at his belt and lifted a ball. "Mew protect me," he muttered. He tapped the button and released the pokemon within. "I hope I'm right," he said quietly.

A clawed orange foot materialized in the snow. Gary looked up in awe as his grandfather's charizard took form in front of him. Flare tossed her head back and roared, a sound so loud that it seemed to shake the mountain. The flame on her tail roared higher in response, melting the snow under her feet.

"Flare!" Gary shouted as the dragon drew all the attention to her. She looked down at him, recognizing the voice of her master's grandson. "Help us!" He pleaded, still shouting up to the dragon.

Flare looked up at the battlefield and Gary could have sworn that he saw the dragon grin. She spread her wings and flapped them once. The flames on her tail surged forwards into a firestorm that whipped up the mountain. The abomasnow roared and lifted a wall of snow in front of itself. The flames crashed through the abomasnow's cover, eating into the ice monster's frozen hide. It roared in pain as a blizzard whipped up around it, trying desperately to defend itself in the maelstrom of flames.

The abomasnow bounded out of the firestorm, a fresh wall of snow rocketing down the slopes towards Flare. Flare launched herself at the abomasnow, intercepting it as the avalanche rolled under her. She tore into the ice monster, flames and claws reducing it to a bloody mess in a matter of moments.

Gary grabbed hold of his blastoise with one arm, hooking his other into Sabrina's. "Everybody hold on!" He shouted, attempting to be heard over the roaring dragon. The avalanche slammed into his blastoise, burying the turtle half under the snow as the avalanche rumbled past them.

Flare let out a triumphant roar, letting the abomasnow's corpse fall to the mountainside. She spat a jet of flames into the sky, daring the mountain to conjure her a greater foe.

Gary shook the snow off of himself and cleared the snow off Sabrina. "I'll be right back," he said. "Stay with Blastoise," he ordered. Ignoring her protests, he stepped out from behind his pokemon.

Misty was storming down the hill towards him with her starmie in tow. Jesse and James were nowhere to be seen. "They're gone," she spat. "Ran when you let the charizard out." She looked up at the dragon, admiring it. "Next time, lead with her," she said.

Gary looked around, looking for Ash and the medium. "Where are the others?" He asked.

The medium stepped out of his shadow, startling the both of them. Aria emerged from behind him, peering over the medium's shoulder at Gary nervously.

"Where's Ash?" Gary asked. Realization dawned on his face before the medium even had time to say a word.

The medium frowned. "That last avalanche hit us hard," he said solemnly. "I managed to avoid it, but Ash got caught." He looked down the mountain sadly. "I followed him as far as I could, but…" his voice trailed off.

"But what?" Demanded Gary. "Where is he?"

The medium shook his head. "I'm sorry Gary." He looked at the ground. "I lost him."

Gary stood in silence, fury etched into his face. He looked up at Flare, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "Flare!" He shouted. The dragon looked down at him curiously. "Do you remember who Ash is?" He asked.

The dragon nodded.

"Find him," Gary ordered. "He fell, but if anyone can find him it's you." He pointed down the mountain. "Wait for us at the bottom of the mountain. If we aren't there in a week, then…" he trailed off, lost in thought.

Flare looked to the sky. She flapped her wings and took off, soaring over the group effortlessly.

Gary looked up at Misty and frowned. "Take us down this mountain before we get any more surprises."

She nodded. "Yes M'Lord."

Gary frowned as she started down towards Sabrina. He looked back up at the corpse of the abomasnow and felt a sinking feeling in his gut. Somehow, he knew that it wasn't the last he'd seen of those two.

* * *

Gary slumped against the cave wall, groaning with pain. He gingerly poked at the bandages wrapped around the wound on the side of his head and winced. Sabrina smacked his hand away, glaring at him. The group continued moving down the tunnel, leaving them alone in the small flickering light of Sabrina's torch.

"You will not heal if you continue to do that," she said in an annoyed tone.

"Can't help it," Gary replied. "It's itchy and sore."

Sabrina sighed and shook her head. "You will be the death of me, Lord Oak." She stood up, digging through her pack. "Here," she said, tossing him a bundle of wrappings. "Drink that to the last drop," she ordered.

He unwrapped the bottle within, holding it up to the torchlight and inspecting the milky liquid within. "What is it?" he asked.

"It's a blend of softboiled chansey egg and moomoo milk." She swiped the bottle from him and uncorked it. "It speeds the body's natural healing process."

He took the bottle and tipped it back, draining the mixture in one go. He lowered it and looked at Sabrina with a disgusted look on his face. "Tastes like ass," he said bitterly.

She shook her head. "It should," she said. "It's not usually meant for human consumption. It's usually used to treat injuries to pokemon." She set to work on his bandages, cutting off the dirty wrappings with a thin blade that she produced from her pack. "If it worked like it should have," she started. "Then you shouldn't need a new set of bandages." She pulled off the last wrapping and smiled at her handiwork. "Feel for yourself," she said happily.

Gary gingerly touched the side of his head, expecting pain the moment his fingers touched his skin. He was pleasantly surprised when he felt unbroken skin. He poked it slightly harder, wincing as he felt the bruise that still covered the side of his head.

"Better?" Sabrina asked.

He nodded, looking up at her gratefully. "Thank you," he said.

Sabrina looked down the tunnel at the rest of the group. "Don't mention it," she said. "And I mean that." She pulled open her pack, showing him the bundle of supplies held within. "My father's wealth affords us with better supplies than most, but it still cost far more than he would have liked to supply me like this." She closed the pack hurriedly. "People would gladly kill for the contents of this bag," she said.

One of the groups torches turned back and started moving towards them. Sabrina hastily rewrapped Gary's head and closed her pack.

"You two get lost?" The medium asked as he approached. "We've got a situation up there."

Sabrina helped Gary to his feet and picked her torch off the ground. "Just changing his bandage," she replied. "What's wrong?" She asked.

The medium frowned. "It's one of Misty's sisters," he said. "She's here and she brought company."

Gary frowned. "What do you mean company?" He asked.

"Mercs," he replied curtly. "And lots of them."

An angry shout reached their ears. The unmistakable sound of a blade being drawn echoed through the tunnel. Gary's hand dropped to his belt, releasing Arcfire with a flash. The massive dog filled the tunnel with its warm light. Arcfire looked around nervously, uncomfortable with the walls of the tunnel so close.

"Go," Gary ordered. His arcanine bounded forwards, the three of them close behind. Arcfire leapt over Misty and the medium, growling protectively at the formation of men that stood before them. Gary stepped out from behind his dog, blade already drawn in anticipation of trouble.

The woman and the head of the formation frowned. She shook her head and pulled off her helmet, revealing her bright pink hair tied up into a tight bun. "This is a family matter," she said curtly. "I would suggest that you move."

Gary shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't do that." He looked back at Misty, giving her a withering glance. "I need both of you to stand down," he said. "This is too important." He sheathed his blade, a thinly veiled attempt to defuse the situation.

The woman with pink hair sighed. She sheathed her blade, looking at Gary with a thinly disguised glare. She regarded the arcanine and then looked back at Gary with realization dawning on her face. "What is so important that the heir to Viridian has crossed Mount Moon?"

"Viridian is gone," Gary said blankly. He looked back at Misty and then back at her sister. "Burned away by Lance and his dragons."

The woman shook her head. "Then it sounds like you are far from home, little Lord." She eyed him eagerly, watching for any slip up or crack in his visage. "You'll find no rest here if you intend to place my sister on the throne."

"You have no right!" Misty shouted. She stepped out from behind Arcfire, her blade still bare. "Mother chose me!"

Lily sighed. If they had been children, Misty would have seen a weary smile grace her lips as it always did after they finished play-fighting. But today Lily's face grew stone-cold as she said, "Mother's choice has no bearing anymore. You know that as I well as I do, sister."

"Nevertheless, I am the strongest." Misty gripped her blade tightly, her eyes a fierce stormy grey. "And you will hand over the throne of Cerulean if you want to remain friendly with the future queen." With Misty's bold words and arrogant disposition, Gary felt for his own sword, expecting violence to break out at any moment.

"Dearest sister," Lily said, half pleading with her younger sister, "you may be the strongest, but you are not a good leader. Cerulean needs both. I'm afraid you just don't have what it takes alone."

"Oh? So what does it take, then?" Misty replied, voice filled with fire. "A coddled little princess like you?" She smirked. "This is the first time that I've seen you wear armour in years." She shook her head, waiting for any response from her sister. "Or perhaps Daisy?" She sneered. "She's too concerned with the poor of Cerulean to take her head out of her ass long enough to see the city burn around her." She shook her head agin. "Or did you mean Violet? She who can barely deliver a speech without making a fool of herself, without bringing shame to her fami-"

"Enough!" Lily snapped. In only an instant, her voice returned to the same tranquil level from before. "I came here to make amends, sister. I realize that things have not been the same... well, not since..." Lily shook her head. "It shouldn't matter anymore. We are sisters,

and that should be enough to keep us together."

"What are you suggesting?"

"Joint rule."

Misty stared at her sister incredulously before her mood turned dark. "I see. It would be just like before, with you three turning on me every chance you got." She shook her head. "I will not have every decision I make undermined by you three."

"Misty, must I remind you that you alienated yourself from us?" Lily sighed. "We only wanted to be sisters, but you just wanted to prove your worth to mother!"

"And I did," Misty replied. "You never understood what it took to please her. You never understood what it took to be strong."

"Certainly not, if this is what it takes," Lily replied. " Everything is a competition-even if it means risking the safety of others."

"But I won, didn't I?"

"Of course you did!" Lily unsheathed her blade, fury taking over her peaceful gaze. The mercenaries mimicked her battle stance. "You never cared about any of us! We tried to show you so many times that we just wanted our sister, but even as a child you only cared about personal gain. How foolish of me to think any of it would change!"

"And how foolish I was to think you were here to take my side,'" Misty snarled. "Cerulean is mine!"

Her starmie erupted with psychic power, propelling Misty forwards faster than the eye could follow. She slammed into Lily, burying her blade up to its hilt in her sister's chest. The two sisters crashed to the ground, Misty's blade impaling Lily. Misty rolled with the motion, losing her blade but coming up with her dagger drawn.

The mercenaries made no move to attack. They stared blankly at the redhead, dumbstruck.

Misty looked down and faltered, finding Lily's eyes. Her older sister was staring up at her in disbelief, her hands wrapped around the blade impaling her. "Mis…" she said weakly, her voice fading in strength.

"Lily? I-I got so angry, I never meant to..." A dry sob escaped Misty's lips as Lily grimaced.

"You will never...be able...to lead..." Each bitter word left Lily's tongue like a drop of poison, stinging Misty's skin like acid rain.

"Lil," Misty cried. "Please don't die," she said. She pulled her sister closer, ignoring the blood that poured from the wound in her sister's chest. "I didn't mean it," she sobbed. "I didn't mean it," she repeated, tears falling from face to Lily's.

Lily exhaled for her last time, eyes silently locked onto Misty's with a cold stare. She shuddered as she attempted to draw breath, the life fading from her eyes. Misty sobbed loudly as her sister died in her arms, her own blade still buried in Lily's chest.

One of the mercenaries looked up at Gary, stepping away from the sobbing redhead. "Your lordship," he started, bowing slightly. "Our contract was with this sister alone. With her death, we are available for employment."

Gary shook his head. "My apologies, but we wouldn't have the funds to hire even one of you."

The man frowned. "I'm from Viridian m'self," he said. "Is it true? My family is there…"

Gary looked blankly at the floor. "I am sorry my friend." He looked at Misty, eyes narrowing as he processed the enormity of her sin. "Viridian is gone," he said quietly. "It's not clear if anybody made it out of the city."

The man nodded. "I understand," he replied. He looked down at the crying woman and then back up at Gary. "We can speak later," he said. "I have a proposition."

Gary nodded, then looked down at Misty. The mercenaries moved away, setting up a small camp further down the tunnel with the rest of the group. Gary knelt beside Misty, reaching out with his hand. "Misty, we need to tal-"

Misty stopped her crying abruptly. She grabbed Gary's arm and pulled him in, yanking him off balance and pressing her dagger into his shoulder. "Not a word," she hissed. She closed her eyes and pulled back her dagger. "Cerulean is all that matters."

Gary pulled away from her, looking down at Misty suspiciously. He nodded curtly and walked away silently, leaving Misty alone with her sister. She sobbed loudly, her cries echoing down the tunnel.

* * *

 _This was always going to happen. Planned from the moment I conceived this story. Kanto is a bad place, where bad things happen. Hopefully, Misty can move on from this. As always, please drop a review! They really do help!_


	6. Survival

_And the world gets larger again! What do I mean? You'll just have to read on!_

* * *

Ash drew in a breath, immediately coughing on the sharp, biting cold. He sat up, groaning with the effort. "Pikachu…" he wheezed between coughs. He felt for the lump on his chest where Pikachu had been. The little mouse was not there. He blinked away the snow that covered his eyes and shook the snow off himself.

"Pikachu!" he called. The blizzard had abated, leaving only a thin layer of fresh snow topping the avalanche. Only the faint howling of the wind answered him. He attempted to stand, his legs shaking uncontrollably. "Pikachu! Where are you?" he shouted, his voice hoarse. No happy little mouse bounded out of the snow to meet him, electricity happily sparking off its rosy cheeks.

Ash clumsily felt at his waist for the pouch of poke balls attached to his belt. He froze, looking down in horror at the empty pouch. He lifted the pouch by its drawstring, looking dejectedly at the hole ripped in the bottom of the pouch. "Just my luck..." He tossed away the pouch, feeling at the empty scabbard on his belt. He grimaced, feeling exposed without even his sword to protect him. He looked up, attempting to figure out where he was.

The peak of Mount Moon sat impossibly high above him. Storm clouds crowded around the top of the mountain, obscuring the peak from Ash's view. He looked down the mountain and gasped. The mountain melted into a series of rolling hills that flattened out into Cerulean's coastal plain. The city rose out of the plain like an anthill, a short stone wall ringing the city's perimeter. The keep towered over the rest of the city, backing directly onto the ocean. A fleet of ships were slowly turning into the bay, their colours raised proudly overhead as they returned home.

"Ok, there's Cerulean," Ash said to himself. He started down the hill, carefully clambering down the remains of the avalanche. The snow crunched heavily underfoot, leaving deep footprints in Ash's wake. He had barely made it fifty feet before the snow dropped off into a steep cliff in front of him. He cautiously peered over the edge of the cliff, looking down onto what looked like a gradual decline down the mountain that started fifty feet below him. A spot of colour drew his gaze, and his heart dropped. A barely discernible tan body lay motionless on the snow. Dark red snow spread out around the body.

Ash froze, knowing that his primeape had been caught up in the avalanche as well. He looked down the cliff and swallowed the lump forming in his throat. He took a step back from the ledge and ran for the edge. He leapt off the cliff edge, hoping the fresh snow at the bottom was as deep as it looked. His heart leapt into his throat as he fell through the air. Ash hit the snow, sinking in up to his chest with the force of his fall. He pushed himself up onto the top of the snow, scrabbling out of the hole he had made.

He looked up at his primeape's corpse and his heart skipped a beat. His pokemon lay in a slushy puddle of bloody snow, splayed out in a spread eagle position. A weavile lay at the edge of the slush, its arm torn cleanly off at the shoulder. His primeape had one hand clamped over its stomach, the ice demon's claws still lodged in its gut. Ash grimaced, feeling a pant of respect for his primeape.

An angry chittering drew Ash's attention. A sneasel emerged from the snow cautiously, its footfalls silent in the snow. Ash shifted, crunching the snow underfoot. The sneasel shrunk back, looking nervously down at the corpses behind Ash. The sneasel took a step towards Ash, still looking at the dead weavile. Ash spotted a glint of red clutched in its claws and drew in a quick breath, realizing it held a pokeball. The sneasel bolted at the sudden move, dashing down the mountain.

Ash darted after it, losing the little black creature in the snow. His foot crunched through the snow loudly, punching through the thin layer of powder. The snow collapsed underfoot, dropping out from underneath Ash. His heart dropped to his stomach as he fell. He barely had time to scream before his feet hit solid rock. He stumbled and grabbed onto the cave wall for support.

"Shit," he cursed under his breath. He looked up at the gaping hole in the cave ceiling. "Now how am I going to get out of here?" A soft growl drew his attention to the sneasel that glared at him from the darkness of the cave. Ash swallowed the lump in his throat as the ice demon's blood red eyes seemed to glow in the darkness.

The sneasel launched at him, darting across the cave in an instant. He lashed out, kicking the little black demon away from him. He turned and broke into a run, losing the scant amount of light in an instant. Behind him, he heard the screeching cry of the sneasel and he dove into the darkness, desperate for some divine providence to save him from the demon that stalked him.

* * *

"Lord Ethan Gold," spat Lance as if the name was bitter on his tongue. The dragonfire torches along the walls cast the throne room in a flickering blue light. A dragonair lay curled up around Lance's throne, eye lazily keeping watch on the congregation he had gathered. His guards stood implacably at the foot of the stairs, weapons constantly at the ready. His Queen sat in her own throne at his side, her armour replaced by a stunning emerald dress.

"Pray that the gods find your reason for failure adequate." He stood up from his throne, only pausing to adjust his cape behind him. The men before him knelt, as they should in his presence. "Pewter spent half her strength on their betrayal, and yet my men bring me countless stories of your failure." His dragonair launched itself from its coils, hissing threateningly as it landed among the rafters. Lance stepped down the steps in front of his throne, looking angrily at the young Johtan that knelt in his presence. "Stories of an onix that struck without warning, and an army that appeared from nowhere."

"Your grace, you must excuse our-"

"Our!" roared Lance. "This failure does not belong to us, Lord Gold. It lies squarely on your shoulders." He strode past the young lord, allowing his cape to whip past him. "Walk with me," he said. "And perhaps your failure may be forgiven in time." He waved away the honour guard that formed around him, smiling softly at Gold as the men lowered their weapons. Somehow, Gold could tell that Lance would need no guards to end his life if he chose to. The Emperor had earned his throne through fire and blood, and the devastation he had wrought upon Johto during his rise had only just begun to heal.

Lord Gold stood and turned to follow him. A trio of dragonair looked down on him from the rafters of the throne room, the dragonfire torches reflecting brilliantly off their scales. Lord Gold shuddered at the sight of the dragons, attempting to hide the involuntary movement from his liege.

"Do my pets scare you?" Lance asked, his calm tone more threatening to Lord Gold than any furious shouting could ever be. He pushed open the doors to the balcony overlooking Blackthorns black spires and stepped out into the cool mountain air. "I trained most of them myself. Dragons are so loyal once they've been broken," he said absentmindedly. "I'm afraid that Johtans are not the same," he said, turning to look at Lord Gold.

Lord Gold frowned. "I'm afraid that I don't follow, Your Grace." He crossed his arms and leaned against the balcony railing. "What does this have to do with Pewter?"

"You are loyal," Lance replied. "I value that. You came directly to Blackthorn when you were defeated at Pewter. Most would have turned and run rather than report that defeat to me personally." He turned away and looked out over Blackthorn. A dragonite rose from the cliffs that rose above the city, rocketing away from the city in search of prey. Countless dragons looked out from their caves on the cliffside, watching their matriarch fly off into the distance.

"It was the proper thing to do, Your Grace," he said. "My men fought hard, but Pewter had reinforcements that far outnumbered us."

"Did you manage to see who these reinforcements were?" Lance replied. "Were they Johtan?"

"Johtan?" Gold replied with surprise. He raised an eyebrow, working out the insinuation. "Why would a Johtan army aid our enemy. Johto is united behind you, Your Grace. They pledged to serve and protect your empire."

"And yet I hear whispers of dissent when I turn my back." Lance shook his head. "Someone has turned on their country, on me."

Lord Gold straightened his spine and frowned. "They flew no banner, Your Grace. They fought without mercy, cutting down all those who stood against them." He looked back at Lance with a grave look on his face. "What would you have me do?" he asked. "My men have moved to camp in the ruins of Viridian with the rest of your army."

"Sniff out the traitors. Break them for daring to betray us. I want justice meted out," he ordered. "Bring me their heads and Goldenrod will never want for anything while I reign."

Lord Gold nodded and dropped to one knee. "I pledge to do this, Your Grace. For Goldenrod."

"For the Empire," Lance replied coldly. "Now go. Do not return until the traitors have been dealt with."

"Yes, Your Grace." He stood up and turned to walk away.

"Lord Gold," called Lance.

He turned around, meeting Lance's piercing yellow eyes with his own. "Your Grace?" he asked cautiously.

Lance stepped inside, the wind whipping his cape behind him. "Do not fail me," he warned.

Gold nodded, unnerved by the coldness of Lance's warning. He turned and strode out of the throne room, not daring to look over his shoulder until he had reached the safety of the guest room Lance had provided him.

"I'm back!" he shouted as he entered the room. "And I'm not dead," he muttered under his breath. "Kris, pack our stuff. We gotta get moving."

Lord Gold's bastard sister sat up on the bed, not a single one of her blue hairs out of place. "How did he take the news?" She asked.

He shrugged. "Better than I expected, but I'd rather not stick around. He's been in a foul mood since the battle, and I'd like to see Whitney before we return to Kanto."

She slid off the end of the bad and slung one of the packs at the foot of the bed over her shoulder, standing more than a head shorter than her brother. "What did he ask of you?" she asked.

He frowned as he lifted his own pack. "To hunt down the army that turned us back at Pewter." He grimaced, mind flashing back to the chaotic end to the siege of Pewter. "Although I've no clue how we are supposed to do that."

A trio of sharp knocks came at the door. It swung open, not waiting for them to answer. A powerfully built man strode into the room, a pair of Lance's dragon knights at his flanks. He adjusted the katana that hung at his belt, looking at the pair of them disinterestedly.

"Koga," Gold started, frowning as the ninja lowered his hood. "Shouldn't you be back in Fuchsia? The Kantoans are bound to notice your defection if you make a habit of travelling to Blackthorn."

"There's nothing I'd rather do than head home to my daughter." He crossed his arms. "However, the King has commanded me to accompany you. He mentioned something about an insurance plan."

Gold frowned at Kris as she bristled at the poison master. He turned back to face Koga as Kris returned to her stoic silence. "Well I assure you that we have no need of your assistance."

Koga grinned at him. "The King insisted upon it. I serve at the King's pleasure."

"We all serve at the pleasure of the King," Gold replied. He turned his head to the dragon knight on his left. "You are dismissed," he said curtly. The knights bowed and wordlessly turned to exit the room. "Now, Koga. What really brings you down here?" He lifted his pack. "As you can see, we were about to leave."

Koga smirked and turned, revealing the small pack that sat unnoticeable between his shoulder blades. "As you can see, I'm already packed. I'll be accompanying you back to Kanto."

"We aren't going to Kanto," Kris spat. "Lord Gold must visit his wife in Goldenrod. She is-"

"Pregnant. I know," Koga interrupted. "It would be a shame for Lord Gold to miss the birth of his child." He shrugged and turned towards the door. "The sacrifices we make for our country."

"You cannot-"

Koga cut her off with a murderous stare. "Bastard, if you speak out of turn again I will have your tongue." He turned to Lord Gold, frowning severely. "Control her, or someone else will."

Lord Gold sighed heavily, forcing Kris into silence with a glare. "I assure you that she meant no disrespect." He shot her an angry look, quieting her outburst. "We shall depart for Kanto immediately." He straightened his back and tucked his arms behind his back. "For the Empire, " he said curtly, brown eyes locked with Koga's own green eyes.

Koga strode out of the room, shaking his head. "Meet me at the dragonspire in twenty minutes, or I'll report to our dear Emperor that I'll be departing for Kanto alone." He stormed out, leaving the door open behind him.

"This isn't right," Kris started. "Lance can't do this to you. We've been nothing but loyal-"

"He sees enemies in the shadows," Lord Gold interjected. "Traitors at his back. He grows paranoid with his power." He shook his head. "I cannot abide by this, our family deserves to go home. Johto deserves a chance at peace. This war with Kanto is madness. I must make him see reason."

"Enough, Ethan," Kris said. "This castle has ears everywhere. It will do us no good to have you executed for treason." She leaned in close, pulling Ethan into a hug. "Be careful, big brother."

"I will," he replied. "Besides, I've got Axios and Kilgar to look after me. And Chirrut to look after them." He smiled, his hands subconsciously reaching for the trio of pokeballs that sat latched onto his belt. "Take care of Whitney for me," he asked softly. "Tell her I'm sorry that I can't be there."

"I will," Kris replied. "Please come back to us soon. The family needs you."

Ethan smiled happily. "I always come back," he said softly. He turned to the door and stopped dead in his tracks. "My Queen, " he said sharply, bowing his head in respect.

Queen Mira stepped into the room, her expression an emotionless mask. "Enough, Ethan. We have been friends long enough for you to drop the titles."

He shrugged, a stony expression on his face. "Old habits," he started. His expression softened as a smile returned to his face. "What brings you down here?" he asked.

"My husband, " she said curtly. "He isn't the same. Some part of him died at Indigo. He didn't come back the same."

Ethan frowned. "None of us came back the same, My Queen. We stood against men and woman that fought at our sides. We beat back the things that had once been our friends."

She was silent, piercing green eyes studying him. "It is different than that. He's colder, more ruthless. It's almost like he no longer cares for human life. The way he talks about what he did to Viridian scares me." She stepped into the room, her eyes looking out the window at Blackthorn's skyline. "He talks of being betrayed, but he won't explain what happened or why. I was there too. I held with Clair while Kanto fled. I deserve to know what happened." She stopped at the window, gazing out of the window longingly.

"That is not for me to say, Mira. No doubt, Lance has his reasons for keeping that to himself." Ethan walked over to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Try not to worry yourself, My Queen."

"How can I not worry?" she asked, still gazing out the window. "I am a prisoner here, " she said, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I cannot leave the castle grounds. Every exit is guarded day and night."

"My Queen, you cannot-"

"What is the point of being the Queen if I cannot?" She crossed her arms and closed her eyes. "I cannot trust the castle staff, they report to my husband."

Ethan shook his head. "What you would ask is treason, " he said. He stepped back, looking at Mira with a blank expression. "I am a sworn vassal of your husband. I cannot do this." He looked away from Mira, eyes falling on his sister. "I will take my leave, " he said. "The less I am to know, the better." He turned away and strode out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

* * *

Ash sprinted headlong through the cave, bouncing off the tunnel walls in his desperate dash. He could hear the savage chittering of the ice demon behind him, never more than a few paces away. His shoulder collided heavily with the cave wall and he stumbled away from it.

Searing cold dug into his left calf, sapping the strength from his leg. He lashed out violently and felt his heel connect with something soft. The sneasel screeched in pain and drew back. The sharp pain left his leg, leaving a cold, dull ache behind. Ash scrambled away, backing himself against a cave wall in the pitch darkness.

The sneasel leapt back at him, its eyes glowing in the darkness. Icy claws dug into Ash's chest, drawing a pained grunt. He desperately grabbed at his empty sheath, looking for the blade that he knew wasn't there as the sneasel forced its claws deeper into Ash's chest. His fingers brushed against something hard and cold, and instinctively closed around it. He swung the rock at where he judged the sneasels head to be with all the force that he could muster.

The sneasel screeched in pain, and Ash saw one of the demon's eyes close. The crushing cold lifted and he sucked in a breath, not realizing he hadn't been able to do so. He leapt to his feet and launched himself at the sneasel, ignoring the aching protests in his muscles as he swung the rock at the Demon.

Ash connected again with the rock, feeling a hot, wet splatter from the bloody impact. The sneasel leapt at Ash again, raking its razor sharp claws across his chest. He drew in a sharp breath as the freezing cold spread out across his body.

The sneasel ducked under Ash's wild retaliatory swing, clawing his left thigh as it did so. Ash dropped to one knee, his nearly frozen leg failing to support his weight. The sneasel screeched angrily and bit down on Ashs arm. With a desperate tug, Ash pulled the sneasel in closer to him. Ignoring the numb feeling in his arm, he wrapped his free arm around the sneasel and pulled it into a crushing bear hug.

The sneasel released Ash's arm with a snarl, desperately attempting to scramble away from him. Ignoring the sharp, cold pains where the sneasel's claws scratched him, Ash pinned the demon's arms against its side, and without thinking bashed his forehead into the sneasel's. The pokemon screeched in pain, and finally opened its claws. Ash heard the pokeball fall to the ground, and thanked his lucky stars when the ball erupted with light.

His charmeleon appeared, illuminating the claustrophobic tunnel with the dwindling flame on its tail. Ash pulled the sneasel in closer, feeling the demons ribs crack under his crushing grip.

"Kill it!" he shouted.

His charmeleon whined in a pained tone, its flame dipping dangerously low. It doubled over, clutching at its stomach.

Ash grimaced, realizing that the arbok's poison had been working faster than he hoped. "You can beat this," he said calmly as the sneasel strained against his grip. "You're a dragon."

His charmeleon looked up at him and roared with as much strength as he could muster. It launched at Ash and the sneasel, sinking its jaws into the demons shoulder. The sneasel screeched in pain as Charmeleon tore into muscle and sinew. One of the sneasels arms slipped free and clawed desperately at Ashs face.

Ash let go of the little demon, clutching at his ruined and bleeding face. He fell back as searing heat ripped through the tunnel, flames searing at exposed skin as his charmeleon tore the sneasel to pieces. Ash let exhaustion take over as he closed his eyes, the sounds of his charmeleon raging echoing down the tunnel. The last thing he heard was the dying screech of the sneasel as his charmeleon tore out its throat.

* * *

Ash was vaguely aware of a sharp pain in his ankle. He opened his eyes, expecting only the pitch blackness of the cave to meet his eyes. Sunlight blinded him, forcing him to cover his eyes with his arm. He felt his ankle drop to the ground, and heard a soft growl.

He sat up, looking at his charmeleon. The flame on its tail was dangerously low, barely more than a small candle burning where there should have been a small inferno. His charmeleon dropped the pokeball that it had recovered beside Ash and sat down unceremoniously.

"Thank you," Ash said. He forced himself to his feet, patting his young dragon on the snout.

The dragon snorted a jet of flame at him and looked away. He panted heavily and collapsed into the snow, looking up at Ash murderously.

Ash lifted his ball and tapped the button. His charmeleon disappeared in a flash of light, sucked back into the contraption. He pressed the ball against himself, grateful for his most rebellious pokemon's show of loyalty. "Thank you," he said again. "I'll get you help, I promise."

The ball seemed to shake in agreement. Ash tucked it into his pocket, happy to have found at least one of his pokemon.

He looked around, attempting to get his bearings again. The tunnel had let out onto the rolling foothills at the bottom of Mount Moon, leaving the snow behind as they had entered the warmer climate. Cerulean itself sat on the horizon, peeking over the hills as if to guide his way.

An earth-shaking roar broke the serene silence, echoing up the mountainside. Flare landed with a thud, the heat from her tail flame shimmering off in waves. She tossed her head back and roared again, tail flame roaring higher.

A tan bird landed gracefully at Flare's side, squawking happily as she spied her trainer. A yellow blur streaked off the back of Ash's pidgeot, tackling Ash in the midsection. He went down in a heap as Pikachu nuzzled into his chest protectively. Pidgeot hopped over to the pair, happily nipping at her trainers fingers.

"You saved them?" Ash asked, looking up at Flare as he happily patted Pidgeot's neck. His bird cooed and pushed herself harder into his hand in response.

The massive dragon nodded, lowering herself down to Ash's level. She nudged her nose into his palm and closed her eyes, smoke lazily drifting from her nostrils.

"Thanks, Flare. I knew you were a softie," Ash said with a smile. He pulled his hand back as the charizard raised herself back to her full height. "Did everyone else make it out?" he asked as he swung his leg over Pidgeot. Pikachu hopped onto the birds back, curling into his usual spot against Ash's chest.

Flare nodded again and spread her wings. She roared again, and launched herself into the sky. Heat waves shimmered in the crisp mountain air, coming off Flare's massive wings with every flap.

Pidgeot shot into the sky behind the dragon, easily overtaking the larger flyer even with her trainer mounted on her back. Ash whooped loudly as he flew over hills that would have taken him hours to cross by himself.

A small hut rose out of a small depression beside the dirt path leading towards the city. Ash angled his pidgeot downward, descending towards the hut. Flare roared behind him, angling her wings downwards to follow Ash. He grimaced as Pidgeot landed, praying that the huts occupants would be willing and able to help his poisoned charmeleon. He glanced back up at the charizard that landed heavily behind him. Somehow, he didn't think he'd have a problem finding willing help.

* * *

Ah, _so the Johto storyline has begun. I've got a side fic in progress with a few of those characters, however, its not a necessary read! Just an excuse to write more dragons! As always, please review! They give me the warm and fuzzies inside._


	7. Chapter 7

The storm struck viciously, crashing into shore the day after they had arrived at Cerulean. Rain lashed the city, running in rivers down the cobblestone streets. The few people who had braved the storm for today's market scattered as the lone shopkeeper packed his the last of his wares.

Gary wiped the rain off his face, stepping into the inn with water dripping off his form. The inn was nearly empty, save for the woman in a travel cloak sitting alone at a table. A battered old driftwood crown sat on her head, revealing her identity. "Lord Oak, " she started, standing in respect. "Good to finally meet you."

He nodded at the blonde woman and pulled one of the chairs out from her table. "You as well, Lady Daisy. Although I wish it were under better circumstances." He sat down heavily, rain weighing down his clothes. "Now, you had a proposition?" he asked, moving straight to business.

"Yes, " she nodded. "I know that you've travelled here with Misty. I know that she murdered Lily under Mount Moon. And I know that she likely intends to kill both Violet and myself in her mad crusade for the throne."

Gary grimaced at her recounting of Misty's deeds and intentions. The woman was not wrong, even if Gary wished that she was. "And yet you still asked to speak with me alone?" he asked rhetorically. Gary raised an eyebrow at her. "What did you ask me here for?"

"Turn around, " she said forcefully. "Go back to Viridian and take my sister with you."

Gary had to suppress a cynical laugh. "Do you think me a fool?" he asked. "Lance has crossed the Argent mountains. Viridian lays a burning ruin. You know that I've come to gather Cerulean's strength against him."

She stared back at him coldly. "How will you gather our strength if Misty crushes it before she takes the throne?"

"I don't intend to let her, " Gary retorted. "She's reckless, even if she is stronger than anyone else in this city. She is not an idiot though. She understands just how tenuous your hold on the throne is." He sighed and shook his head. "I'll be honest, I doubt she'd be able to handle the stresses of running a city. You've been doing it alongside your mother for years. I trust that you would not run it into the ground if given the throne. However, that does not solve the problem of your sister's claim."

"Lily had a solution, " Daisy started.

"And look where that got her!" Gary retorted. "Violence will not work, not against Misty. She feeds off chaos in battle. I've seen her take on a pair of fighters that far outstripped myself in skill alone and come out unscathed."

"Then I do not know what to do, " Daisy said. "I do not wish for her death, but it is the only solution to our problem."

"She's bluffing, " Sabrina's voice said. Gary nearly flinched at the sudden noise. He still wasn't used to Sabrina's telepathic abilities, and they still took him by surprise when he wasn't expecting it. "Her mind is filled with thoughts of revenge."

"What was your proposition?" he asked, suspicion creeping into his voice. "You knew I would not return to the smoking ruin of Viridian, much less take your sister with me. What did you expect of this meeting?" he asked.

She sighed and closed her eyes. "Kill her, " she started "Ensure that she is no threat to my family and Cerulean is yours to command."

Gary's expression fell into a mournful frown. "I had expected you to be better than this, " he said. He stood up and pushed his chair in. "Such petty grudges will be your downfall."

"Do you mean to threaten me?" she asked incredulously.

"No, " he said calmly. "I mean to educate you. You will bring ruin to your City with this pointless feud. Rule through Misty as an advisor. Look past the blind hatred that your desire for revenge has given you." He turned away from her, his head hung solemnly in front of him. "She is family. That alone should be enough to end this charade. Life is too short to spend it quarrelling with the few who we love."

She stood up, mirroring his actions. "I will not stand for this, not in my City!" She turned her head, glancing over her shoulder. "Guards!" A half dozen armed guards burst from the doors at the rear of the inn, weapons drawn.

"So predictable, " Sabrina said. "Would you like me to intervene?" she asked, annoyance clearly felt across their mental link.

Gary gave an imperceptible nod. He heard a faint pop, then felt the suffocating pressure of teleportation take him. He felt the heat of a fire warm his face, and heard the crackling of burning logs.

"So, that clearly went well." The medium shifted and Gary spotted the man in the corner of the room, shrouded in shadows. He stepped out of the shadows, Aria hanging off his arm as if she were a child. "What are we doing then?"

"We move forward with Misty. As much as I don't believe she can effectively rule Cerulean, she's still damn good in a fight. Frankly, Misty would probably be far more useful travelling with us than attempting to rally Cerulean's strength here. However, I doubt that she would accept that at this point." Gary turned away from the medium, looking at Sabrina's exhausted frame. A week of scouting the overcrowded city with her mind had taken its toll on the psychic. It was all she could do to monitor the rest of them when they went out, and teleport them back if she was able. "Speaking of our little princess, how is she?"

Sabrina sighed heavily and closed her eyes. "Indignant as ever, but otherwise unharmed." She opened her eyes. "Do you seriously intend to put her on the throne?" she asked.

Gary shrugged. "I don't know, " he said. "She's useful, even if she is reckless. She could be just what Cerulean needs."

"Kanto doesn't need another warlord, " Sabrina replied. "She will do far more harm-" She doubled over, clutching her head in her hands. Her eyes opened, brilliant psychic light shining out of them. Gary attempted to take a step towards her but found his foot rooted in place with telekinetic power.

Gary attempted to take a step towards her, fighting against the pressure building in his mind. The psychic energy drowned out all noise, save for Sabrina's painful struggling. He could hear whispers behind the pressure, straining to be heard. Snippets of destruction flashed in his mind, fires raging through the streets of Viridian. He watched his city burn in horror, the faces of the citizens flashing past Gary's face as the unnatural fire snuffed each of them out. The fires reached the keep and Gary felt the presence behind him.

He turned, catching a glimpse of the figure. Psychic power streamed off its feline features, exuding the pressure that Gary felt in his mind. Its tail flicked once and it disappeared in a flash, leaving Gary alone in his burning city. He felt the world drop away from his feet and watched as Kanto seemed to grow dist

Sabrina broke the vision with a pained cry, bringing Gary back to the small room in the log cabin that lay to the north of the city. He drew in a breath, not daring to believe that he was truly safe. The vision had been so utterly realistic that he swore he could still feel the heat of the fires.

The medium jerked violently, his eyes shooting open and desperately falling on Gary. Desperation morphed into anger as his gaze shifted to the still unconscious Sabrina. "What in the hells was that?" he asked, half-shouting. "I said stay out of my head!"

"Hold, " Gary ordered, glaring the medium back into his chair with the force in his gaze. "I don't think it was her, " he said quietly. "I've felt her mind before, but that was different. It was stronger, far stronger than anything she's capable of."

Sabrina sucked in a breath, shaking herself awake. "Where am I?" she asked, her eyes glued shut as she massaged her temples.

"North of Cerulean, " Gary replied. "In over our heads."

She nodded. "I remember, " she said softly, still cradling her head. "What happened?" she asked.

"You passed out, some kind of vision hit all three of us." Gary knelt before her, raising her face from the floor. "We were hoping that you could tell us what happened."

Her eyes snapped open, revealing her bloodshot eyes. "I know what's going to happen. The future has been made oddly clear, " she said suddenly. "And you aren't going to like it." She stood up abruptly and blinked out of existence, leaving Gary and the medium alone.

They looked at each other for a few moments, awkward silence filling the room. "Psychics, " the medium started. "Complete basket cases, every single one of them."

"Show some respect, " Gary replied. "She just might be our only way out of this mess."

The medium shrugged. "Suit yourself, " he said. "But don't come crying to me when she cooks your mind for disagreeing with her.

* * *

"What would you have me do?" Daisy said, frustration creeping into her voice. "For the love of Mew, she killed Lily!"

Her sister sat up on her bed, glaring at the blonde. "We don't even know what really happened. Do you trust that brute to tell us the truth? Have you forgotten that she is still our sister?" She stood up, admiring herself in the mirror over her desk. "Do you think that she would kill us if you gave her the crown?"

"I don't know, Violet, " Daisy said. "Remember what happened to mum?"

"How could I forget?" Violet replied. She picked up a hairbrush and slowly began to run it through her dark blue hair. "She never shut up about it. All we heard about was how her sisters literally stabbed her in the back. Hell, I think she expected us to do the same thing."

"Well, Misty took it seriously, " Daisy said. She furrowed her brow and shook her head. "She thinks that we want the throne over her."

"So give it to her, " she said. She looked at the battered crown on Daisy's head and sighed. "You didn't want the damn crown anyways!" She slammed the hairbrush onto the desk and rounded on her sister. "Go back to the orphanage if you love it so much! You never wanted the responsibility, so why are you holding onto it so tightly?"

"Because Misty isn't capable!" she shouted back. "Do you really think she understands how to run this city? How to feed the people?"

"You do!" Violet turned away, picking up the hairbrush again. "Maybe the best thing to do is help her."

Daisy sighed, standing there in silence. She turned away and opened the door to Violet's room. "Would she do the same for us?" she asked, her voice dropping to a whisper.

"No, " she answered. "Probably not. But that's the point. We might not need her, but she needs us."

Daisy stood there for a moment, watching her sister slowly brush her hair. Without a word, she stepped out of the room and shut the door behind her.

Violet stared at the door, frowning at her older sister. She looked over towards her closet with a smirk. "You can come out now, " she called. "She's gone."

Gary pulled open the closet door and stepped out, Sabrina supported on his arm. "I told you she was stubborn, " Gary said. "She refuses to see reason."

Violet turned back to her mirror and sighed. "She has reason to ignore logic. Can you honestly blame her for wanting Misty dead?"

Gary stopped, staring at Violet. "I can't say that I'd feel any different if I were in her position."

Violet put down her hairbrush, still staring into the mirror. "So what would you have me do?" she asked. "From what you have told me, Misty will attack tonight. I cannot stand against Daisy."

"So convince her, " Sabrina said forcefully. "You are the only one who can convince Daisy to give up her throne. Show her that she can work with Misty, that she can teach her how to rule."

Violet pushed her chair out, turning to look at the pair. "I do not wish to lose the rest of my sisters tonight."

"Then you know what to do, " Gary replied. "You're the only one who can stop this."

A deafening roar echoed through the castle, bringing their conversation to a halt. Violet looked at them with a fearful expression. "How do you plan on facing him?" she asked. "The Marauder is strong, stronger even than Misty ever was. She can't beat him alone."

A smile spread across Gary's face. "Then it's a good thing that she's not alone." He turned towards the door with Sabrina close behind him. He stopped, looking back over his shoulder. "Make the right choice here, Lady Violet. Family cannot be replaced. Misty may be violent and unpredictable at times, but she does have a good heart."

Violet bowed her head. "I will speak with my sister. Perhaps this night will not end in bloodshed." She crossed the room, opening the door for Gary. "Be careful, " she warned. "The Marauder has doubled the men patrolling the castle. They know that you are coming. I believe that Daisy may have warned them of your visit." She turned, rushing down the hallway that her sister had taken.

Gary stepped out of Violet's room, still supporting Sabrina's weight on his shoulder as he shut the door behind him. "So, " he started, giving Sabrina a weak smile. "Where do we start?"

She steadied herself, putting one hand on the wall. "We need to stop the mercenaries from massacring the Cerulean soldiers. They will not take lightly to their supposed betrayal." She took her hand off Gary's shoulder, steadying herself on the wall.

"Sabrina, you don't need to do this, " Gary said quietly. "Your life is not worth the strength Cerulean would give us."

"Gary, do you think me a fool?" she asked. "If I do nothing, Ash and Misty die out there. We will be stranded in a hostile city with no escape. There is no choice." She shook her head, seeming to regain some of the strength that she had spent in the last week. "We cast our die the moment you struck a bargain with Misty. To back out now would result in nothing but disaster."

* * *

Ash looked up at the mechanical monstrosity that hung over Cerulean's sky. Thick, acrid smoke billowed into the storm clouds above the city, disappearing into the ominous black clouds.

"Who are they?" Misty asked, looking up at the airship with something akin to hatred. "And why do they dare to defile my City?"

"Mercenaries, as far as I could tell. None of the soldiers wear a sigil, and the ship itself flies no colours." He looked back down at the churning surf crashing against the shore and grimaced. The cold, unforgiving sea spray splashed against his face, leaving a salty taste on his lips. "Does the plan change?"

"No, " she replied, lifting a ball towards the ocean. An explosion of light tore free of the ball, splashing into the briny surf. Typhon stretched to his full height, happily growling at the familiar ocean spray as it crashed against his azure scales. "We move on the castle as planned. If Lord Oak and Lady Natsume are in place, it won't matter."

Ash raised a ball of his own, releasing Flare onto the sandy beach. The massive firedrake glared at the sea dragon, steely cold gaze meeting Flare's fiery glare. "Anything else?" he asked, clambering onto Flare's back.

Typhon lowered his head to the shore, allowing Misty to step on top of his head. He raised her into the air, waves crashing against his armoured scales. "Stay out of my way."

Typhon shot out to sea, Misty holding fast to the wyrm's dorsal fin. Flare shot into the sky, gaining altitude as she laboured out to sea. Ash grimaced as they approached the storm that had engulfed Cerulean, steeling himself for the torrential rains that the storm had brought.

Flare shivered as she delved into the downpour, rain sizzling off the inferno on her tail. Misty and Typhon were no more than a speck against the raging seas below. More than once, Ash lost sight of them in the crashing waves. Flare finally angled herself towards the earth, rain slicking her scaly hide. Ash's legs ached from the constant beating of her wings. The rain suddenly cleared and the wind died as Ash entered the eye of the storm.

Typhon launched from the raging sea, coiling around the figure that leapt from his back. The mighty gyarados tossed back his head and roared, challenging any who might stand before the heir of Cerulean.

A deeper, more earthy roar answered him. The very foundations of the city shook as the tyranitar challenged Typhon. It stepped out of the shadows, each footstep shaking the courtyard ominously.

Flare's wings outstretched, carrying her over the keep. Flare swooped over the city, circling back over the courtyard. Ash peered down over Flare's beating wing. He could make out a half-dozen figures standing behind the tyranitar, weapons glinting in the scant light.

Misty stepped out from Typhon's coils, the wyrm uncoiling to allow her to pass. Typhon stretched to his full height, towering over both Flare and the tyranitar. Misty drew her blade and planted it into the dirt, glaring at the blonde woman standing in the shadow of her beast.

"Misty!" she constant across the courtyard. "Stop this madness at once! You will rule over naught but dust if Typhon is unleashed."

Misty stood in silent fury, glaring at her older sister. "I invoke my claim to this City, to the throne that you pretend yourself worthy to sit upon." She stepped forward, leaving Typhon and her blade behind. "By my right as Kasumi's chosen heir, I challenge you for the throne."

Daisy stepped forward to face her sister. Her blonde curls framed her face, falling past her shoulders. A plain crown made of driftwood sat on her head. "As ruler of Cerulean, I accept your challenge. However, I urge you to withdraw it."

Misty's satisfied smile faded. "I will not, " she retorted. "I've been waiting for this day for my whole life. Mother's choice as heir was a cruel joke! You think it to be a blessing, but it is a curse. Every single action invited judgment!" Her hands trembled as she spoke, balling up into fists as she attempted to steady herself. "Every single day I was told how to act, how to speak, how to breath! I was put under pressure from the day I pulled Typhon onto shore, and nothing that you say can change that."

"So you will not withdraw your claim?" Daisy asked.

Misty shook her head, eyes locked onto Daisy's. "I have waited my whole life to wear that crown. I will not withdraw my rightful claim."

Daisy signed visibly. "Very well then, you leave me no choice." She reached up, lifting the crown off her head. She tossed it towards Misty, who caught it deftly. "I will withdraw my own claim in favour of yours. There is no sense in tearing what is left of our family apart over a legacy that I do not truly want. I only implore that you accept my counsel. I have experience that you simply do not, and I would not see you make the same mistakes that I did." She dropped to one knee, bowing her head. "Put on the crown. Take your place."

Misty looked down at the battered old crown, a smile spreading across her face. She lifted it and put in on her head, closing her eyes to savour the moment. "Rise, " she ordered, looking down on Daisy's kneeling form. "Rise and take your place at my side."

Daisy stood, eyes locked onto Misty. She leaned in closer to her sister, a grim look on her face. "I hope that you still know how to fight, " she remarked.

Misty nodded, looking up at the mountain of rock. "That's something you never forget."

She winked and turned to face the tyranitar behind her. She threw her arms into the air, a joyous smile on her face. "All hail, Lady Misty of Cerulean!" she shouted to her retinue. As one, the guardsmen raised their weapons in unison to salute their new ruler.

One man stepped out of the tyranitar's shadow, clad in simple black armour. He sauntered towards them, clapping slowly. An iron mask covered the top half of his face, revealing a malevolent smile. "Indeed, I do enjoy this happy reunion." His arms dropped to his sides, resting on his waist. A massive black axe hung on his back, radiating malevolence. "However, the terms of our contract are clear. Misty is not to sit on the throne under any circumstances."

Daisy stiffened her spine, looking at the man with utter contempt. She stepped in front of Misty protectively. "You are dismissed!" she spat. "Cerulean no longer has need of your services, Marauder!"

He grinned, raising his hand and snapping his fingers. The loud twang of crossbows rang out over the pouring rain, splitting the tension in the air. Daisy's guardsmen dropped like flies, cut down by the sudden barrage. "Now, we've talked about this. Failure to meet the terms of our contract will result in consequences."

"Crawl back to Lord Sakai, " spat Daisy. "The gods damn you and your bloody contract. We will not kill our Queen to please the whims of some madman half a country away!"

The Marauder raised his hand again, a psychotic smile growing across his hard features. "Wrong choice." He snapped his fingers and a second barrage of bolts shot towards the sisters.

Misty dropped her hand to her belt, releasing Saphhire in a glorious flash of light. "Barrier!" she shouted. The word had barely even left her lips before a shimmering wall of light sprung into place. The hail of bolts stopped in their tracks, dropping harmlessly to the ground.

"The Iron-Masked Marauder, " Misty said, recognizing the veteran mercenary. "Since when do you take an interest in the succession of thrones?" Sapphire ripped her blade out of the ground with psychic power. Misty caught it deftly in her outstretched hand, pulling her shield from her back with her other hand.

"We're under new management, " he replied. "Somebody who wants there to be a Kanto left over after this war." He shrugged, lifting the massive axe off his back. "I'll be honest, I don't really care about what he wants. The ambitious fool does pay well though. And he really doesn't want you to wear that crown."

"You'll have to take it off my corpse then, " Misty spat. Sapphire hung in the air behind her, gem glowing with psychic light. It let out a threatening tone, hanging in the air behind her trainer.

His grin threatened to split his face. "I was planning on it, " he said with glee.

The Marauder was on her in an instant, bringing his axe down into Misty's rising shield. Sapphire's gem gleamed with power, psychic energy attempting to rip the Marauder away from her trainer. The telekinetic throw slipped off the man's axe, barely even throwing him off balance. Misty shoved with her shield, pushing against the Marauder's crushing strength with all her might.

"Get away from him!" Daisy shouted, releasing her pokemon.

Misty scrabbled desperately at the straps on her shield, attempting to loosen them enough to slip her arm free. The Marauder tore his axe free of Misty's shield, painfully wrenching at her shoulder. He brought his axe down into her shield again, splintering the sturdy wood with ease. She dropped to her knee with the force of the blow, barely able to keep the Marauder from crushing her again. The Marauder brought his leg up into her chest, driving the wind from her and cracking several ribs. She rolled away with the force of his kick, finally slipping her arm out of her ruined shield.

An explosion of water erupted from Daisy's Pokemon, slamming into the Marauder. He whipped into the castle wall with a sickening crack, sliding to the ground where he lay motionless. His tyranitar roared in anger, bellowing a challenge that Typhon was only too eager to answer. The sea wyrm launched from his coiled position, smashing into the veritable mountain of rock with a resounding crash. The duelling titans crashed into the side of the keep, showering the courtyard with a rain of falling rock.

The tyranitar roared in pain, Typhon's jaws clamped down on its shoulder. It thrashed madly, smashing Typhon into the keep and reducing it to rubble. The tyranitar stepped back as Typhon's grip on its shoulder weakened. It grabbed the wyrm with its free arm, tearing the sea serpent's iron grip off its shoulder in a bloody spray of rock and blood. The tyranitar spun, bringing its tail up into the side of Typhon's armoured head.

Typhon's head rocked to the side with an audible crunch. The wyrm spun and smashed into the courtyard wall, falling heavily to the ground. The tyranitar turned back towards Typhon, roaring in anger. Stone spikes rent apart the courtyard, further battering Typhon's azure scales as the gyarados shrieked in pain.

The tyranitar planted one foot on Typhon's prone form, holding him to the ground. It turned its head and roared, shaking the earth with its power. A jet of flame drew its attention before Flare slammed into the tyranitar from above as Ash leapt to the courtyard wall. Flare fled into the skies as the tyranitar swung an arm at the firedrake.

Typhon thrashed under the tyranitar's foot, knocking the titan off balance. Flare landed both feet into its chest with a powerful kick, finally toppling it onto the courtyard wall.

"Typhon!" Misty shouted, straining to be heard over the destruction. "Drag it out to sea!"

The massive gyarados clamped its jaws over the tyranitar's leg. With a titanic effort, it slowly dragged the mountain of rocks out towards the ocean. Flare descended from the skies again, harassing the fallen tyranitar with flashing claws and jets of flame. Typhon slipped into the water, straining against the tyranitar as it dug into the ground. Flare clamped her jaws into the back of the tyranitar's neck and twisted as she flapped as hard as she could. The tyranitar's grip faltered and slipped as Typhon dragged it into the ocean's depths.

A deep laugh filled the courtyard, chilling Misty to the core. She looked over to where the Marauder had fallen and gasped. He was upright, supporting his weight on his oversized axe. "You really think that you can defy us?" he shouted to Daisy. "We will exact our payment either way. Cerulean will pay her due." His free hand dropped to his belt, lifting the pitch black ball that hung on his belt. He tossed it into the air, grinning like a madman. It split open, impossibly black light fighting to escape the dark ball.

"Scizor, bring me their heads!"

The red bug disappeared in a flash, moving faster than Misty's eyes could follow. She felt the rush of wind blow past her and threw her blade up protectively. A pained cry from behind her drew her attention. She turned, horrified by the sight that greeted her. Daisy's dewgong was split in twain, entrails leaking out its separated halves onto the cobblestone. Misty could barely hear her sister's desperate blubbering over the scizor's buzzing wings.

The bug dismantled Daisy's cloyster in a similar manner, cracking its shell with a series of devastating blows. It split open and Misty caught a half of a glimpse of the strange creature within the spiky shell before the scizor reduced it to a bloody layer on the stones.

Misty charged the metal covered bug, her blade raised to run it through the insect's thorax. It spun, adjusting before Misty could react. Her blade glance harmlessly off the scizor's carapace, her momentum carrying her past the bug. It clamped one of its pincers down on the blade, snapping it as if it were a nothing more than a twig. Misty twisted awkwardly to her side as the scizor tore the broken blade from her grasp. It hammered its other pincer into her chest in a series of crushing blows, letting Misty slump to the ground.

"Don't you understand? " shouted the Marauder. He stumbled, before lifting his axe and limping towards the women. "Kanto doesn't need you anymore!" he exclaimed, brandishing his weapon above his head.

Misty blinked rapidly, trying to draw in a breath. Her vision swam from the pain, and she could feel something in her chest shift as she sucked in a breath. She could see the red shape of the scizor looming over her, preparing to strike a killing blow. "Daisy, run!"

Sapphire slammed into the scizor from behind. It let out a cry of pain as the starmie crushed its wings with a telekinetic slam. The scizor turned before Sapphire could retreat and clamped down on one of the starmie's limbs. With a savage cry, it hacked away at Saphhire's gem. The ruby cracked under the strain, emitting a terrible whine. Sapphire erupted with power, catapulting the scizor into the courtyard wall and tearing off its trapped limb.

The bug screeched in pain, peeling itself off the castle wall. It crashed to the ground, its steely red exterior dented and cracked in several places. A large crack in its armoured chest was leaking sticky green blood down the front of the scizor.

"You think yourself worthy to lead, " spat the Marauder. He stopped, glaring at Misty's prone form with a look of pure malice. "You are a child. You will bring nothing but ruin to this country." He raised his axe and swung it with all the strength he could muster.

Sapphire threw herself in front of the axe, a psychic barrier exploding from her central gem. The Marauder's axe seemed to cut through the barrier as if it wasn't there, burying itself into the starmie's gem. The gem cracked and shattered, its light winking out in an instant.

He pulled the dead pokemon off his axe, tossing the corpse to the side. His scizor limped over to his side weakly, damaged wings buzzing weakly. It looked down at Misty as she rose to one knee. "You don't deserve to wear that crown, kinslayer."

"Maybe not, " she replied, spitting out a glob of blood. "But I wear it nonetheless." She grabbed her broken blade, determination giving her strength. "Come get it."

The Marauder raised his axe and grinned madly. He opened his mouth to speak, before retching violently. Ash's blade burst from the man's chest, blood spraying out at Misty. The Marauder dropped to his knees as Ash twisted his blade, drawing out an agonizing moan of pain. He tore his blade free and kicked the Marauder away from him. Pikachu leapt off his shoulder, erupting with electricity. The lightning bolt struck the Marauder before he collapsed. He convulsed as the electricity coursed through his body, before falling dead to the floor.

Charmeleon's fiery jaws clamped onto the scizor's shoulder, melting through its metal carapace with ease. He tore the bug's arm from its body, eliciting a screech of pain. The scizor's ruined wings buzzed as it attempted to escape. Charmeleon pounced as it attempted to flee, flames eating away at the bug's protective armour. He pulled back his head and slammed it into the half-melted metal. The bug stopped flailing immediately as Charmeleon lifted his blood-covered head. He roared to the skies, triumphantly savouring his kill.

A brilliant light engulfed Charmeleon, lighting up the courtyard as if a second sun had ignited. His roar deepened, and wings sprouted from the back of his growing silhouette. The light faded, leaving Ash's charizard basking in the glow of the inferno on his tail. He roared again and was greeted by Flare and Typhon's victorious responses.

The medium appeared in the courtyard, stepping out of the shadows with a satisfied grin. Aria tore from the shadows behind him, dragging a screaming man behind her. She tossed him into the air with supernatural strength, cackling gleefully as he screamed. He slammed into the ground went silent, remaining motionless on the ground.

Gary appeared with a pop, supporting Sabrina's exhausted form with his own. "Ash!" he shouted. "They're leaving!" He dropped to one knee as Sabrina faltered, dropping her to her knees unceremoniously.

Ash followed his gaze, looking up into the raging storm. The airship was turning, slowly beginning to move out to sea. Pikachu jumped back onto his shoulder, looking up at the airship alongside Ash.

Sabrina looked up at Ash, psychic light blazing in her eyes. "That ship cannot leave, " she said. "It is-" she dropped to the ground, clutching at her head. She cried out in pain, blood slowly leaking from her nose and ears.

Gary caught her before she hit the ground, cradling her in his arms. He looked up at Ash with a mixture of fear and concern. "I don't know what to do, " he said. "She's been pushing herself so hard since Pewter."

Misty put a hand on Gary's shoulder, looking around at the destruction the battle had left in its wake. "It's ok, " she said. "We won the day, despite the cost. As I promised, Cerulean is yours. If there is anything else you need, do not hesitate to ask."

"A doctor, " he replied curtly. He looked down on Sabrina's unconscious form, worry gnawing at his gut. Sabrina had done so much, none of it easy. Half of the mercenaries in the castle had fallen unconscious in the moments after their ambush. He'd be damned if he let anything happen to her. "Get me a doctor."

The ship blared a loud horn as it departed. A few stragglers chased after it on flying mounts. The eye of the storm followed it, moving out to sea as if the ship was causing it. The rain poured onto the city as the storm slowly retreated, washing the blood off the stained cobblestone courtyard.

Ash looked up at the ship with grim realization. He looked over at Flare and his charizard. He sheathed his blade as he stormed over to the firedrakes. They shifted uncomfortably, the rain sizzling into steam as it fell on their tail flames. Ash's Charizard looked down at him, breathing heavily.

He put his hand on the firedrake's leg. The muscles rippled underneath the new charizard's scaly orange hide. He could feel the power in his pokemon's new form and felt ashamed at having not given such a powerful creature a worthy name. "Fang, " he said quietly. His charizard snorted in satisfaction, blowing a puff of smoke at him. "Fang it is then, " he said with finality.

He clambered onto Flare's back, eyes locked onto the airship as it attempted to flee. Flare growled in anticipation, feeling Ash's muscles tense up. She launched into the air without a second thought, ignoring Gary and Misty's panicked cries. He didn't look back as Flare pushed through the storm. Fang flew close behind her, throwing himself into the rain without a second thought.

Ash couldn't help but smile as he closed in on the airship. He saw a flurry of movement at the rear of the ship and grinned. A trio of shapes were winging towards him. Flare broke into the eye of the eye of the storm with a savage roar, breathing a jet of flame into the sky. He felt Pikachu tense up and steeled himself for the fight of his life.


	8. Chapter 8PSAAN

Misty put a hand on Gary's shoulder, looking around at the destruction the battle had left in its wake. "It's ok, " she said. "We won the day, despite the cost. As I promised, Cerulean is yours. If there is anything else you need, do not hesitate to ask."

"A doctor, " he replied curtly. He looked down on Sabrina's unconscious form, worry gnawing at his gut. Sabrina had done so much, none of it easy. Half of the mercenaries in the castle had fallen unconscious in the moments after their ambush. He'd be damned if he let anything happen to her. "Get me a doctor."

The ship blared a loud horn as it departed. A few stragglers chased after it on flying mounts. The eye of the storm followed it, moving out to sea as if the ship was causing it. The rain poured onto the city as the storm slowly retreated, washing the blood off the stained cobblestone courtyard.

"Let's get inside, " Misty said, shielding her face from the rain. "We should take some time to-"

Flare roared and launched herself into the sky, Ash mounted on her back. His new charizard roared and leapt into the sky after them, his inexperience flying clear in his awkward flight.

Misty screamed a wordless cry and heard Gary do the same at her side. Ash either didn't hear them or ignored them as he winged his way after the ship.

"Get her inside, " Misty ordered, looking at Gary. "I'll follow them." She looked up at Typhon as he raised himself out of the surf.

Gary lifted Sabrina off the blood-soaked cobblestone, cradling her in his arms. She was frail and weak, weighing far less than Gary had expected her to be. "No, you won't, " he replied. "I'm not losing my only source of aid on some mad quest. I'm going with you."

She lifted the battered old crown off her head, knowing what she had to do. "Then I am no longer your source of aid." She looked over her shoulder at Daisy and smiled softly. "I will not sit idly on a throne while there is a war to be fought. Ash may be a reckless fool, but he is our reckless fool and we can I'll afford to lose such a talented trainer."

Gary looked at Daisy, concern clear on his face. "Who will sit on the throne here?" he asked. "Someone must rule the city."

Misty turned away, looking at her sobbing sister. "Aye, " she replied. "And she will do a fine job of it.

She looked up at Typhon with a knowing grin. "Just watch me, " she said confidently. She turned to Daisy as Gary carried Sabrina towards the keep. Her sister was still silent, bent over the mangled corpses of her pokemon. She dropped to one knee, hand brushing against Sapphire's shattered gem.

"Are you happy?" Daisy asked coldly, looking up at Misty. "You have your throne."

Misty shook her head. "Of course I'm not happy. We barely made it through that battle alive." She bowed her head, looking down at her starmie's ruined body. "Did you know that a starmie can regenerate its body as many times as it pleases?" she asked suddenly. "As long as it's jewel survives, it can regenerate its whole body…" Her voice trailed off as she looked away from the body of her loyal companion. "We have never truly been the same since I let Typhon murder Cerise, and I suppose that I am the one to blame for that." "Do you still have?" she asked.

Daisy looked up at Misty, still sobbing, albeit softer than before. She reached into the folds of her dress and produced a battered old pokeball. "She said that he wasn't a fighter anymore, that he's too old." She clutched the ball close to her chest, reluctant to let go of her mother's last pokemon. "He's all we have left of her…" her voice trailed off, shame creeping into her tone.

"He deserves to be free. We can't hold on to him any longer, " Misty replied. "I just need his help to get up to that ship."

"He can't fly, " Daisy said.

Misty took the ball from Daisy's hand with a reassuring smile. "I don't need him to fly. I just need him to swim." She looked up at the retreating airship and spotted a jet of flame that made her heart sink. She looked back at Daisy with a devilish grin. "Remember how Typhon evolved?" she asked.

Daisy's expression changed to one of horror. "He wasn't a gyarados then! There's no way he'll be able to do that with his weight!"

Typhon lowered his head, allowing Misty to grab hold of his bony crest. "Don't tempt him, " she called as the gyarados stretched up to his full height. She looked out at the airship and braced herself against Typhon's crest. "Get 'em, " she ordered.

Her gyarados surged out to sea, propelling himself through the waves with each stroke of his tail. He cut through the raging water with ease, Misty clutching tightly to the bony crest on his head. She held the battered old pokeball in her hand, clutching it so tightly that she felt as if she might crack it in her palm.

The torrential rain ceased the instant they crossed into the eye of the storm. She looked up, spotting the pair of charizard locked into battle with a trio of flying pokemon. A bolt of lightning erupted from the larger charizard's back, electrocuting one of the flying forms. It plummeted from the sky, crashing into the water beside Misty. She caught a glimpse of the golbat's leathery wings before it sank into the water, disappearing into the dark waters that churned below.

Misty tossed the battered old ball into the air, briefly illuminating the choppy waters with bright red light. She saw the mottled orange fish appear and slip beneath the waves. "Otto!" she shouted into the surf. "It's me! Do you remember me, old fish?"

The seaking burst from a wave as it crashed against Typhon's scales. A bolt of lightning illuminated the old seaking, momentarily giving its scales the radiance of its youth.

Misty grinned wildly as the fish dove back into the churning waters below. "Bring us the sea, Otto! Bring us the powers that rule these waters! We must take the sea to heights it has never been."

For a moment, nothing happened and Misty feared that the ancient seaking had leapt at the chance of freedom. Then the sea seemed to boil and bubble with movement. Thousands of sea creatures emerged from the depths, a brilliant menagerie that Misty had never been able to imagine existing. She spied the sharp dorsal fins of a sharpedo pod breaking the surface, their powerful bodies slicing through the water.

A roiling mass of tentacles burst through the surface, thrashing the water into frothy madness. The bulbous crown of a tentacruel rose out of it, hundreds of its offspring writhing in the waters below.

Misty even spotted the sharp crests of a pair of seadra breaking the surface. A few horsea bobbed behind them, huddling close behind their parents in the treacherous conditions.

A massive island of blubber burst through the surface of the sea, rising above all of them. Misty marvelled at the size of the wailord, her jaw-dropping as an eye larger than she was tall lazily opened to look at her. The wailord towered over all of them, seawater pouring off its back.

Misty planted one foot on Typhon's crest, still holding tightly to the bony appendage as she surveyed the power that her mother had once spoken of. The living strength of the monarchs of the sea lay at her disposal, granted to her in an hour of need. She closed her eyes, drinking in the glorious cacophony of noise as the pokemon below announced their arrival.

"Hydro pump!" she roared, pointing at the airship that soared high above them. As one, the water pokemon below loosed a titanic stream of water. It rushed into the sky, unconcerned with gravity's hold. It slammed into the airship's starboard side, sending it lurching to the side with the force of the blow.

Misty braced herself against Typhon and leaned in towards his head. "Alright, you overgrown fish, remember how you got this big?"

She felt Typhon rumble in response and felt his muscles tense up underneath her. He growled deeply, waiting for Misty's command.

"Waterfall!" she ordered, clutching tightly to Typhon's crest. She sucked in a breath as Typhon coiled his body and launched into the air. For a brief moment, the titanic gyarados soared through the air, his whole body straining to reach the torrent of water that shot into the sky.

Typhon crashed into the wall of water, surging up the artificial waterfall with unbridled speed. Misty held fast to his bony crest, water washing over her in every direction. She felt the breath tear from her lungs as the water pounded into her chest. Still, she held fast. Typhon slammed into the airship's hull with a violent crash. The metal hull groaned under the pressure as Typhon wrapped his body around the hull. He clung to the underside of the airship as the waterfall receded, Misty dangling off his crest weakly. With an almighty roar, he pulled himself above the ship's deck and deposited Misty on the deck.

Misty slipped off his head, stumbling to the deck of the airship weakly. She unsheathed her blade, eyes scanning the deck and falling on the men that rushed towards her. Already, a half dozen of the mercenaries were fleeing, flying mounts appearing in quick flashes.

Misty ducked under Typhon as he hauled himself aboard the ship. It lurched to the side, dangerously listing in the air. He hissed at the trio of men that rushed towards his trainer. A torrent of flames tore free of his maw, washing over the men that dared to challenge his trainer. The smell of cooking flesh filled the air, overpowering the salty smell of the sea. Misty gagged as the trio dropped to the deck, roasted by the gyarados's flames.

She spun, deflecting the blow of another charging mercenary. She kicked the man between his legs with as much force as she could muster. He doubled over, clutching at his manhood. Misty spun her blade deftly and rammed it through the mercenary's back. He slumped to the deck dead as Misty turned to face the half dozen men that rounded on her.

She planted her feet, looking at them with sheer defiance. "Come on then, " she spat.

Typhon slithered towards them as they charged, shaking the deck with every movement of his massive body. Misty dove to the side, allowing her gyarados to savage the brave mercenaries that still stood before her.

The smell of ozone filled the air as Ash leapt onto the deck. His pikachu leapt after him, lightning erupting from his cherry red cheeks. The bolt slammed into the lone man that slipped around Typhon, dropping him to the floor in a twitching heap. Ash bounded over his twitching body, crashing into the deck beside Misty.

"For the love of Mew, what are you doing here?" He asked, panting desperately. "It's not safe for you!"

Misty turned and slapped him across the face. "Fool!" she shouted. "We can ill afford for you to throw away your life."

The hatch to the lower decks swung open, bright red hair emerging from the darkness. The woman stepped onto the deck with them, spear tracing a thin line along the wood. "You threw away your lives the moment you stepped on this ship, " she spat.

James emerged from the hatch behind her, staring at the pair of would-be heroes. He smirked at the woman, hand resting on the hilt of his blade. He raised a ball, releasing a wicked looking plant that smelled of overpowering decay. It raised a pair of thick vines that seemed to end in oddly sharp looking leaves. One of the vines twisted around James' leg before he smacked it away. "That's quite enough of your games, Jesse. Let us dispose of them and be done with it."

She frowned, glancing at her partner. "You're no fun anymore, " she said. She lazily tossed a ball into the air, releasing her arbok. The oversized serpent hissed, yellow eyes glaring up at Typhon as he coiled protectively in front of the pair. Jesse raised her spear as she dropped into a fighting stance. "I'll just have to enjoy killing these twerps."

The arbok lunged, fangs outstretched for Typhon's throat. Its fangs glanced off the wyrm's armoured scales. Typhon swung his tail at the serpent, rocking the already dangerously listing airship with the violent movement. Pikachu leapt off Ash's shoulder as, erupting with electricity. The bolt of lightning coursed into the arbok, leaving a blackened mark on its side as it writhed in pain.

Ash stumbled with the listing airship as Jessie and James leapt towards them. He clumsily raised his blade, barely getting it in the way of Jessie's opening jab. She stepped in close, pushing Ash off balance as she deflected his blade into the deck. She slammed her elbow into his nose as he attempted to steady himself. His head snapped back, blood streaming from his now broken nose. She kicked his legs out from beneath him, raising her spear to impale him.

Fang landed awkwardly on the deck, cracking the thick wood with the force of his landing. He roared snapping his jaws at the woman before she could disembowel his trainer. Jessie rolled away under a jet of fire, raising a ball off her belt as she rolled to her feet.

Pikachu came to the rescue, a bolt of lightning slamming into Jessie's outstretched arm. She shrieked in pain, convulsing as the little mouse electrocuted her. She collapsed to the ground, motionless as , as Ash rose from the deck.

Ash looked up at Fang, nodding in respect as blood streaming from his broken nose. He spat a glob of blood, looking around for Misty. His heart skipped a beat as he laid eyes on her. James had her pinned to the deck, her blade forgotten at her side as she desperately held James at bay.

Ash lowered his shoulder and charged, crossing the distance between them in a heartbeat. He slammed into James from the side, driving the wind from the man's chest with his impact. The two of them went rolling, tumbling as the airship lurched under Typhon's thrashing weight. James rolled with the momentum, springing to his feet quicker than Ash thought possible.

"You fools, " James spat. "You stand in the way of true progress, struggling against forces far beyond your comprehension." He sheathed his blade, smiling knowingly. "Your lives were forfeit the moment you stepped aboard."

A half dozen mercenaries burst from the hatch to the lower decks. Ash and Misty turned, blades drawn with Typhon towering over them. Another hatch behind them burst open, another half dozen mercenaries emerging from the belly of the ship.

Misty glanced back over her shoulder, turning and standing back to back with Ash. "We aren't getting out of here easily, " she growled over her shoulder. "Any more bright ideas?" she asked, blade raised in front of her.

Ash raised his blade, glancing up at the pair of charizard that circled overhead. Pikachu leapt onto his shoulder, electricity sparking on his cheeks. "We do the only thing we can, " he replied. "We fight!" he raised his blade to the sky and took a step forwards.

Ash stopped mid-step, frozen in place. He opened his mouth and felt his voice die in his throat. Ash attempted to turn his head and felt a blinding pain build in his mind. All thoughts left his mind, replaced by an unbearable pressure building inside his skull.

"Pitiful, " said a deep, melodic voice. "Such fire in one so weak. Such willpower is wasted with you." Ash drew in a breath sharply, realizing that the voice was speaking directly into his mind. "It almost makes me want to spare your life."

A psychic presence appeared behind Ash, nearly overwhelming his mind with its power. Reality shifted and warped before his eyes, rewriting it according to the will of a power far beyond comprehension. Ash felt himself lift into the air and turn, eyes falling on the feline form of a living god. Its body seemed to burn with a purple fire as it glared at them with an inhuman hatred. Pitch black plates covered its body, hungrily devouring the psychic fire radiating from the being's body.

"Almost, " it said coldly. Its eyes seemed to stare through Ash, peering into his soul with ruthless efficiency. Ash's pitiful struggles were silenced in an instant, the being's godly presence banishing any thoughts of rebellion before they even surfaced. He felt the scene swim and disappear, before changing and racing through memories that Ash barely remembered. Faces that Ash had long forgotten about resurfaced for a moment before being pushed aside as useless filler.

Ash resigned himself to the interrogation, barely registering the memories that flitted through his mind. He felt his body crash to the floor and was vaguely aware of the swaying deck of the airship beneath his body.

"Useless, " said the voice. "They know nothing." The being turned, shifting its attention away from Ash. "Barely worth expending my strength."

A calm voice answered, undeterred by the irritated god. "Then we have no further use for them. Toss them overboard."

The being's rage flared again, and Ash dared to open his eyes. The creature rounded on a tall and powerfully built man. He wore a suit of pitch darkness that seemed to suck in the angry god's psychic presence. "I am not some pathetic creature to order about as you see fit. I am the ultimate weapon, created to destroy."

The man raised an eyebrow, seemingly mocking the beast. "I am your master. You will do whatever I command you, or shall I remind you exactly what that armour does to things like you." He stared back into the face of the captive god, defiance plain on his face.

Ash felt movement at his side and weakly turned his head. Even that simple movement drained him of what little strength he still had, leaving him on the edge of consciousness. Misty was slowly forcing herself up onto all fours, straining against her exhaustion as she rose. Ash locked eyes with her, silently pleading for her to stay down. She looked up at the god, her hand closing around the hilt of her blade.

"This armour will not hold forever, " the god said, his voice filled with vitriol. The captive god flicked its powerful tail in annoyance. "We shall see just how strong your hold is then."

The man stared back, cold eyes staring at the god's fiery gaze. A warning shout drew his gaze as Misty forced herself to her feet. She raised her blade even as a hail of crossbows bolts soared through the air, gripping it with as much strength as her drained limbs could muster. She brought the sword down wildly, swinging it at the being's arm. Her blade cut into the black armour as if it were paper, burying into immortal flesh and spilling violet blood onto the deck.

The world grew silent for a moment, drowned out by enormous psychic pressure. The god raised an arm, stopping the hail of bolts with a thought. They dropped to the deck, clattering away harmlessly. The god bowed its head, terrible psychic energy streaming out of the crack in its armour. It looked up at the man, righteous fury worn on its face. The armour exploded off of him, burning away in the supernova of psychic power.

Ash registered Misty's body flipping through the air as the storm resumed. She soared off into the rain, flipping head over heels as she flew off the side of the airship. Ash screamed a wordless cry that was lost in the unholy screeching of pent up psychic energy.

The man in black armour stood implacably before the living god, contempt clear on his face. The black armour seemed to drink in the psychic energy, darkness devouring the violet light streaming off the god. He raised a pitch black pokeball, glaring at the unshackled god standing before him. "You will submit again, " he said calmly. "It is inevitable."

The being was engulfed in violet light, psychic power warping reality in its presence. "I am the ultimate weapon. I am the god of vengeance, " it spat, it's voice projected into Ash's mind. "And I am no slave." The violet light flared, stabbing down into the airship's belly. The deck rumbled and groaned as the psychic fire ripped through the ship's interior, gutting its superstructure in moments. The world seemed to grind to a halt, held in place by the being's unimaginable power. It winked out of existence, leaving the broken airship behind.

The ship seemed to hang in place for a moment, the last vestige of the god's power holding it aloft. Ash clambered to his feet, looking around warily as a scant few of the mercenaries did the same. Ash locked eyes with James and then the ship split in two beneath them.

Ash felt himself be thrown into the air, the shattered remains of the airship dropping out from beneath his feet. He heard a deafening roar and saw a massive winged creature appear in a flash of light. It snapped its wings out, catching the man in black armour before he could fall to his death. Typhon slammed into its wing as he plummeted towards the sea, nearly knocking it from the sky.

Ash dove his hand to his waist, tearing pidgeot's ball from his belt in desperation. He tapped the button, releasing his bird as he plunged towards the frigid waters below.

Pidgeot screeched, diving towards her trainer with all the speed her wings could muster. She shot past her flailing trainer and flared her wings, allowing him to land heavily on her back.

"Pikachu, " he shouted, pointing at a yellow blur that shot past them as he urged his mount after the little mouse. He held fast to pidgeot's back, barely keeping hold of the bird's back as she dove towards the surface. Pidgeot banked hard, flaring her wings as she swooped past Pikachu. Ash caught his starter just before he would have plunged into the ocean. A half second later, half of the airship slammed into the water just behind Pidgeot. The bird screeched as a wall of water threatened to overtake her.

Pidgeot flapped madly, skimming over the surface of the sea in her desperate escape attempt. A wave rose up to meet them, plunging them under the cold and unforgiving surf. Ash felt his head break the surface and sucked in half a breath before the wall of water slammed into them from above.

* * *

 _Hi there! If you've stuck with me until this far, then I have an apology to make. This version of Salvation is dead. I've completely restructured the story and have a rewrite in progress. I figured that I should at least post what I had left written for this story._

 _Sorry if you liked this version, but I hope that you'll join me in the rewrite! It's been a fun learning experience and I'm glad that I got as much attention and feedback as I did._

 _Thanks for reading, my friends!_


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